NBA free agency: ‘Ambitious’ free-agent period begins for the Bulls, NBA on Sunday
There’s a fine line between ambitious and crazy.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is about to toe it.
According to one NBA insider, with the start of free agency on Sunday, Karnisovas’ attempt to flip the roster into a competitive youth movement is “ambitious, but an uphill battle.”
That doesn’t mean he’s not going to try and pull it off.
The issue is the dominos that have to fall before the Bulls can become serious players at the table. That means free agents Paul George and Klay Thompson finding homes first, and the teams left out in the cold then having to come a-calling.
That doesn’t mean the Bulls saw no action with the roster.
As expected, back-up big man Andre Drummond announced on social media that he planned to return to the Philadelphia 76ers and will do so on a reported two-year, $10-plus million deal.
If Karnisovas can accomplish what he would like to, however, that means Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are elsewhere next season. Nikola Vucevic will be shopped but that is a very difficult sell.
The sting in all of it would be losing DeRozan.
There’s no undervaluing what DeRozan has meant for the Bulls, especially in the leadership department.
As clutch a player as he’s been, he’s also done his best to spread the wealth late in games and help the likes of LaVine and Coby White learn to excel in closing time.
That didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, including coach Billy Donovan.
“When you have a guy like DeMar, who has been an incredible closer his entire career, he’s a unique and special guy,” Donovan said during the second half of the season. “DeMar is all about winning. It’s not like, ‘Hey, this is my time, just stand over there.’ He’s really, really good about encouraging (other) guys to make plays. ‘Hey, when I’m trapped, it’s coming to you. Be ready. Shoot it. Drive it.’ Having a veteran guy (who has) closed as many games as DeMar has, he’s been a great example.”
But there was also a realization with that ability.
Because DeRozan is “all about winning,” the Bulls were stuck in mediocrity with an incomplete, and often injured, roster around him. The six-time All-Star was just too talented to bring back for an organization that is pushing a youth movement.
Part of that push is making sure to finish in the bottom 10 and keep the Spurs from taking the protected first-round pick from the 2025 draft. A ’25 draft class that the entire league feels can be special, and not just expected top pick Cooper Flagg.
That’s why this offseason has been so deliberate.
Drummond was never in the plans, Karnisovas had been eyeing Josh Giddey since last season, making Alex Caruso expendable, and having local product Matas Buzelis fall to them in the first round of Wednesday’s draft was Christmas in June in their opinion.
The fact that the Bulls and Patrick Williams agreed on a five-year extension late Saturday night was always in the plans. It just came down to at what cost? That was revealed to be $90 million.
On the surface a bit of a head-scratcher considering Williams’ lack of availability through the first four years of his career, but when there’s a quick glance around the league at what “3-and-D” players are making, let alone 22-year-old “3-and-D” players, well, it’s not a stretch. In fact, in two seasons if the Bulls want to move off Williams it could actually be a very easy contract to move.
The immediate concern is will Williams even be available when the 2024-25 season starts after undergoing foot surgery?
“I think so,” Karnisovas responded when asked if Williams was expected to be ready by training camp. “We have to look at his schedule, but he was planning to be ready for training camp.”