Next Season Starters?

[pipfan]

I think we have 7 starters next year. Most of see that our "core" will be back. I would be shocked to see DDR leave or have a Vuc deal.

So, Lavine, White, Ayo, Caruso, Pwill, DDR and Vuc are all starters. We draft the #12 pick and will still have Phillips, Terry and a few other current guys. Who knows, Ball might be back too

So, assume DDR and Vuc start for sure, who else is in the lineup? I've given up hope of a rebuild

I go this way
Ayo/CWhite
Lavine/CWhite/Caruso
DDR/Caruso/PWill
PWill/#12 picks/Phillips
Vuc

we rebuild Lavine's value, sign DDR to an overpriced 2 year deal and win 42 games. At least we're a fun team to watch

[sco]

I suspect we will either trade Zach or let DDR go.

[Chi town]

I suspect we will either trade Zach or let DDR go.

Continuity. DDR will resign for most money and most shots. He doesn’t want to really win a ring.

Lavine is untradable for even expirings until he plays well again for 20 games.

I expect AK brings everyone back and we add a PF or C to replace Drummond without will get paid more elsewhere.

[Rose2Boozer]

AKME has a serious luxury tax problem their hands. I don't think they can afford to give DDR the contract he deserves and they won't be able to get the career ending exception for Lonzo Ball.

White
Lavine
Draft pick for trading Caruso (Shannon???)
Williams
Vucevic

[sco]

AKME has a serious luxury tax problem their hands. I don't think they can afford to give DDR the contract he deserves and they won't be able to get the career ending exception for Lonzo Ball.

White
Lavine
Draft pick for trading Caruso (Shannon???)
Williams
Vucevic

Barring a stronger than expected showing in the playoffs, I agree that AK will not resign DDR, best-case a S&T for a minor asset or trade Zach for zero-value. I prefer letting DDR go because I feel that Zach could redeem himself.

White
Lavine
Caruso
Williams
Vuc

If somehow someone grows a brain, we shift Vuc to the bench. Somehow if Ball comes back, we have a compelling mix of offensive and defensive talent, except for a decent starting C, and honestly AD wouldn't be a bad keep (but I doubt we can afford to).

[DropStep]

I suspect we will either trade Zach or let DDR go.

Lavine is untradable for even expirings until he plays well again for 20 games.

Man, Zach's career spiraled downward so quickly. He has followed a trajectory that many other max-type players seem to have blazed recently - fairly well-loved to pariah in a flash. I doubt he was worth quite what he thought he was on the trade market as a Bull, and then his first surgery made him way less valuable. Then he recovered, but had a somewhat iffy recovery season. Not great. Then his pout/trade request made him way less valuable. Then his team doing better without him made him less valuable. Then his extended injury followed by his most recent surgery made him even less valuable. And now even the teams that like and need him are wondering why nobody else is sniffing around and/or are waiting us out trying to get a rock bottom price, which has probably made him even less valuable in some kind of self-reinforcing loop. If it were me, I would be sitting home asking myself, how did everything go so wrong so quickly? I'm not a bad guy, but this has NOT worked out - I have to turn this thing around or I'll be playing for Billy until I look like him. But then, I didn't grow up as an AAU king, and I've never known anyone who was - maybe they don't think like that after a lifetime of affirmation. If he works hard this summer, comes back and excels, he can be right up toward the top again in no time and probably write his own ticket to some degree, winning being the best deodorant and all. And maybe he'll find out that winning and being loved again is fun. But the cart has to come before the horse at this point, or nothing great is likely to happen. The cart being, close mouth, get better, be a good teammate, win games, and perhaps more than anything, put orange ball through orange ring more often than not for a quarter to half a season. It's a simple game. Gritting your teeth while you do it is optional. Which is what I'd be telling him if I were his agent.

[Bandit King]

Lonzo
Lavine
Pwill
Vuc
Derozan

1st place bulls are back

[Stratmaster]

Assuming they have to do "proof of concept" with Zach, and you just can't give Demar what he demands... I am not going to speculate which 5 start. But, Ayo, Coby, Zach, Caruso and Drummond would be Billy's small ball dream lineup. It would certainly move the Bulls to the "shot profile" they claim to be looking for and a lineup that should be able to push the pace.

But it would require some real rotation management as you are using all your guards at once. You would have to carefully get them rest is a rotation versus bringing in multiple bench players.

Williams and Craig can cover the 2 through 4 backup minutes and Vuc splitting the minutes at the 5.

24 minutes each for Vooch and Drum

20 each for Caruso and Williams.

20 for Craig (8 at the 4, 12 at the 2/3).

36 each for Coby and Ayo. 34 for Zach.

Leaves 26 minutes for Terry/Bitim/Phillips

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[PaKii94]

Assuming they have to do "proof of concept" with Zach, and you just can't give Demar what he demands... I am not going to speculate which 5 start. But, Ayo, Coby, Zach, Caruso and Drummond would be Billy's small ball dream lineup. It would certainly move the Bulls to the "shot profile" they claim to be looking for and a lineup that should be able to push the pace.

But it would require some real rotation management as you are using all your guards at once. You would have to carefully get them rest is a rotation versus bringing in multiple bench players.

Williams and Craig can cover the 2 through 4 backup minutes and Vuc splitting the minutes at the 5.

24 minutes each for Vooch and Drum

20 each for Caruso and Williams.

20 for Craig (8 at the 4, 12 at the 2/3).

36 each for Coby and Ayo. 34 for Zach.

Leaves 26 minutes for Terry/Bitim/Phillips

Sent from my SM-S911U using RealGM mobile app

I think pwill would start over caruso for balancing purposes and keeping caruso rested

[RSP83]

I want to roll with Ayo, Coby, Zach, PWill, Vuc. Assuming Demar does not return and no changes to our roster.

We need to move on from Vuc.

Demar and Zach pairing don't work. I wanto see Ayo and Coby grow, and Zach as the third wing to play with them.

[Dan Z]

I suspect we will either trade Zach or let DDR go.

Continuity. DDR will resign for most money and most shots. He doesn’t want to really win a ring.

Lavine is untradable for even expirings until he plays well again for 20 games.

I expect AK brings everyone back and we add a PF or C to replace Drummond without will get paid more elsewhere.

I agree that LaVine needs to play before he's tradable, but hopefully AK does his job and asked around this off season too.

As for Drummond I bet he'll get a increase in pay, but probably not something that high. Unfortunately, I could see the Bulls letting him walk due to not wanting to pay the tax.

I could also see the Bulls pick a center in the draft to replace him (but think they should go BPA).

[sco]

I suspect we will either trade Zach or let DDR go.

Continuity. DDR will resign for most money and most shots. He doesn’t want to really win a ring.

Lavine is untradable for even expirings until he plays well again for 20 games.

I expect AK brings everyone back and we add a PF or C to replace Drummond without will get paid more elsewhere.

I agree that LaVine needs to play before he's tradable, but hopefully AK does his job and asked around this off season too.

As for Drummond I bet he'll get a increase in pay, but probably not something that high. Unfortunately, I could see the Bulls letting him walk due to not wanting to pay the tax.

I could also see the Bulls pick a center in the draft to replace him (but think they should go BPA).

My dream scenario would be to have DDR do a S&T with the Knicks for a S&T for Hartenstein or get Robinson. Knicks have too many C's, and either guy would be a huge fix for this team.

[LateNight]

Don’t want Zach back. Start Ayo and Coby and get other pieces to put around them. Don’t really care who / how. I like Demar and Caruso and Torrey but move whoever or whatever to start building a team that’s watchable for 5 years

[ChettheJet]

The way Ayo is playing my best bet is trading Lavine, for a PF
Allow Demar to find a S&T destination maybe even just for picks
I'd love to trade Vuc and resign Drummond then get two young guys with something to prove
I'm trading Caruso even if just for picks

I'm done with a very veteran roster and rotation scratching and clawing just to get near the play in

Williams
the new guy
Drummond
White
Dosunmu

I'm not unhappy with Craig, Bitim, Carter, Phillips, being the start of a bench

[kodo]

I think Zach will start but only to start the season, then gets traded.
So long term,
PG - Coby
SG - Ayo - Caruso
SF - Demar
PF - Williams
C - Vucevic

With AK insisting on play-now returns for Zach instead of future assets, I assume we'll get some older roleplayers. He's been going after Gallo multiple times so I assume we'll get something like Gallo back, older vet PF who can shoot 3s and a backup Center.

I really think Andre will get more than vet min next season and sign elsewhere, or at least vet min on a better team. So we'll have to replace him.

[Donkedave]

Apparently you missed all 5 javonte greens! Didn’t see the game against pacers today but from what I read he starts all positions!

[League Circles]

We should be trying to trade some or all of Vuc, Caruso, Zach, Carter, Terry and Lonzo. That would simplify this conundrum significantly. Assuming we fail to make a trade and everyone is back, I think we almost have to start Coby, Zach, Demar, along with Vuc (barf) and most likely Patrick, though maaaaaaybe Lonzo might displace Patrick and play point forward.

[MrSparkle]

Guards under contract 24/25, in order of salary: Zach, Lonzo, Coby, Caruso, Ayo, Jevon, Bitim
Total: ~ $100M

Forwards under contract, in order of salary: Terry, Craig (PO), Taylor, Phillips
Total: ~$8M

LOL

Look, I understand AK's been dealing with injuries (thus the guard depth and replacements). Maybe in an alternative timeline (healthy Lonzo), Ayo and/or Coby are gone and Jevon's never bothered with.

But nevertheless, the lack of money invested in the wing/forward positions is ludicrous, and despite the lack of options this summer, AK needs to re-structure the roster and cap. Of course Demar and Pat could easily load up $50M+ of the cap with extensions, but we all know that putting the team into luxury with those figures makes zero sense, especially with the ages and injury prone-ness of the big pieces.

I think it's impossible to guess next year's starting lineup. My hunch is Coby, Vuc and some combo or variation of Ayo/Caruso will be starting. I figure Patrick will resign to sub-$15m money and start, too. It doesn't make sense to me or any other rational person, but AK is probably determined to play out this build, sans Zach, to the end.

I think the bigger issue here, will be that an improving prime Coby, Ayo and Caruso will all be looking for major pay-raises and probably not taking their player options for 25/26. So the clock is ticking for AK to restructure, or continue operating over the cap with declining/overpaid vets and limited picks to trade.

I think he's atleast 1y late to shuffling the deck, but if our starting line-up in October is Coby-Ayo-Demar-Pat-Vuc with Caruso as our primary 6th man, then god bless our hearts.