2025 Free Agency News/Rumors

[BullsSD]

With Giddey and Coby on the floor as starters Okoro fills a defensive need that Whitmore doesn't. Okoro can be our POA defender 1-3. Matas, and eventually Noa, will make our front line defense long and switchable. Add in a rim protecting Center that can hit 3s and we have a future contender.

Talk dirty to me.

[Ben]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

They're really not. That's part of the point. Let's call it point A:
The guys you've named have done nothing in their NBA careers that suggests that they're as good as Whitmore. He has some documented success that far exceeds what the Bulls' scrubs have done.

On the other hand, it's totally fair to tell people that we couldn't actually have gotten Whitmore, as some others have done here. There seem to have been backstage political issues with Houston and Washington and Whitmore's agent, and maybe Washington got a deal because Whitmore wanted to play in his hometown and his agent and Houston earned goodwill by facilitating it. That could be the case. And at any rate, the Bulls would have been only one among many teams who could used Whitmore for the price of two seconds.

That said, some posters here have made clear that it's not so much about Whitmore in particular and more about the kind of value/ arbitrage mindset-- where GMs try to stockpile talent that could be traded in the future if it can be acquired for a good price-- that we haven't seen from the Bulls' front office. That's the REAL takeaway point here, I think.
Let's call it point B: we would like to see more of a smart, asset-based mindset in the Bulls' front office.

I'd put Point A as being 10% of the real issue here, and Point B as 90% of it.
In other words, it's not so much about Whitmore as about a desire to see the Bulls' FO indicate that they're building an excellent team with a clear blueprint and principles.

[Ballerkingn23]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

Ha! Terry is just a energy guy at best and would be lucky to score 20 pts in any game.

Phillips can be better than Whitmore but isn't yet and unless he has a monster summer I don't see him being better than Whitmore.

Now am I upset we didn't get him, No! Still, we don't need him and IDK if we have a 1 for 1 player to swap for him that the Rockets would accept because that's the only type of deal AK makes.

[Dez]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

I'm not even a fan of Whitmore, but he brings more to the table than Terry or Phillips largely because Whitmore is the only one who possesses some scoring capabilities. Whitmore can drive and get to the rim, whereas Terry doesn't have the athleticism, and Phillips can't dribble.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Whitmore also can't defend or pass.

There's zero reason to be upset that we didn't get him.

[drosestruts]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

Ha! Terry is just a energy guy at best and would be lucky to score 20 pts in any game.

Phillips can be better than Whitmore but isn't yet and unless he has a monster summer I don't see him being better than Whitmore.

Now am I upset we didn't get him, No! Still, we don't need him and IDK if we have a 1 for 1 player to swap for him that the Rockets would accept because that's the only type of deal AK makes.

Terry has scored 17 points twice, once in a game where he played 21 minutes, so I imagine he could score 20.

Whitmore gets shots up fro sure, potentially one of the reason he wasn't i nthe rotation much in Houston. He puts up a lot of shots,but doesn't score with good effeciency.

[DuckIII]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

Ha! Terry is just a energy guy at best and would be lucky to score 20 pts in any game.

Phillips can be better than Whitmore but isn't yet and unless he has a monster summer I don't see him being better than Whitmore.

Now am I upset we didn't get him, No! Still, we don't need him and IDK if we have a 1 for 1 player to swap for him that the Rockets would accept because that's the only type of deal AK makes.

Terry has scored 17 points twice, once in a game where he played 21 minutes, so I imagine he could score 20.

Whitmore gets shots up fro sure, potentially one of the reason he wasn't i nthe rotation much in Houston. He puts up a lot of shots,but doesn't score with good effeciency.

lol about efficiency. Phillips is .561 and Whitmore is .555. Phillips only takes wide open shots and dunks. Whitmore takes nearly 2x as many shots per 36. Phillips made 128 fg last year and all but 18 of them were 3s or dunks. He can’t dribble and has no offensive game that is not reliant on others. Whitmore is a massively better shooter and scorer than Phillips.

And he had to beat out guys like Thompson, Green, Brooks and Eason to get minutes and still played 18 mpg on a 52 win team. Phillips played 14 mpg on a 39 win team and had to beat out Matas and Pat. And I guess later on Huerter.

This conversation only happens on the Bulls board and really only among maybe 2-3 posters.

[MGB8]

Ha! Terry is just a energy guy at best and would be lucky to score 20 pts in any game.

Phillips can be better than Whitmore but isn't yet and unless he has a monster summer I don't see him being better than Whitmore.

Now am I upset we didn't get him, No! Still, we don't need him and IDK if we have a 1 for 1 player to swap for him that the Rockets would accept because that's the only type of deal AK makes.

Terry has scored 17 points twice, once in a game where he played 21 minutes, so I imagine he could score 20.

Whitmore gets shots up fro sure, potentially one of the reason he wasn't i nthe rotation much in Houston. He puts up a lot of shots,but doesn't score with good effeciency.

lol about efficiency. Phillips is .561 and Whitmore is .555. Phillips only takes wide open shots and dunks. Whitmore takes nearly 2x as many shots per 36. Phillips made 128 fg last year and all but 18 of them were 3s or dunks. He can’t dribble and has no offensive game that is not reliant on others. Whitmore is a massively better shooter and scorer than Phillips.

And he had to beat out guys like Thompson, Green, Brooks and Eason to get minutes and still played 18 mpg on a 52 win team. Phillips played 14 mpg on a 39 win team and had to beat out Matas and Pat. And I guess later on Huerter.

This conversation only happens on the Bulls board and really only among maybe 2-3 posters.

Ok, but reality is that Houston dumped him for essentially nothing, while still under a rookie contract. Where, having moved Green and Brooks, and with Durant generally playing the offensive 4 at this point - the Rockets certainly had room for him - in fact, maybe even a need for some bench scoring. That suggests something. Whitmore certainly is a better offensive talent than Terry or Phillips, but the fact that Houston dumped him during a very cheap rookie deal, in this environment, for two mid 2nd, one years away… suggest that maybe he ain’t nothing special himself. In which case there is no practical difference.

[GoBlue72391]

So waive them? What's the big deal? Teams waive guys all the time.

Waive Phillips, Terry or Carter, they're in the last year of their deals anyway and provide nothing.

It's ridiculous to hamstring ourselves because we have about 4 or 5 guys who are dead weight on our roster. Why are we prioritizing these guys who have no future with this team?

The Phillips/Terry/Carter trifecta makes it hard for us to trade, I've heard it all. We got a whole line up of guys that shouldn't be on the roster lol.

Philips is still an interesting prospect

Meh. He's athletic but rarely ever shows it. He was billed as being a very good defender and it might be a stretch to call him average on that end of the court. He can't do anything off the bounce or create anything for himself. He can't do anything other than shoot corner 3s, and he's not very good at making them. He'll get the occasional putback dunk.

He's young and cheap so I have no issue keeping him around, hoping he'll improve, but if we get the opportunity to get a guy like Whitmore, then he or one of the other aforementioned guys can go.

[GoBlue72391]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

Double post

[GoBlue72391]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

So many people turning their noses up at young, cheap talent. That's the one thing this roster is desperately lacking.

And no, they are not "basically just as good as Whitmore."

[GoBlue72391]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

I'm not even a fan of Whitmore, but he brings more to the table than Terry or Phillips largely because Whitmore is the only one who possesses some scoring capabilities. Whitmore can drive and get to the rim, whereas Terry doesn't have the athleticism, and Phillips can't dribble.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Whitmore also can't defend or pass.

There's zero reason to be upset that we didn't get him.

There are like two guys on this roster who can defend. Who cares? We're not competing for anything. Acquire young talent for cheap and let the cream rise to the top.

[sco]

I'm not even a fan of Whitmore, but he brings more to the table than Terry or Phillips largely because Whitmore is the only one who possesses some scoring capabilities. Whitmore can drive and get to the rim, whereas Terry doesn't have the athleticism, and Phillips can't dribble.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Whitmore also can't defend or pass.

There's zero reason to be upset that we didn't get him.

There are like two guys on this roster who can defend. Who cares? We're not competing for anything. Acquire young talent for cheap and let the cream rise to the top.

I think our problem is that poop floats too and AK can't tell the difference.

[DuckIII]

Terry has scored 17 points twice, once in a game where he played 21 minutes, so I imagine he could score 20.

Whitmore gets shots up fro sure, potentially one of the reason he wasn't i nthe rotation much in Houston. He puts up a lot of shots,but doesn't score with good effeciency.

lol about efficiency. Phillips is .561 and Whitmore is .555. Phillips only takes wide open shots and dunks. Whitmore takes nearly 2x as many shots per 36. Phillips made 128 fg last year and all but 18 of them were 3s or dunks. He can’t dribble and has no offensive game that is not reliant on others. Whitmore is a massively better shooter and scorer than Phillips.

And he had to beat out guys like Thompson, Green, Brooks and Eason to get minutes and still played 18 mpg on a 52 win team. Phillips played 14 mpg on a 39 win team and had to beat out Matas and Pat. And I guess later on Huerter.

This conversation only happens on the Bulls board and really only among maybe 2-3 posters.

Ok, but reality is that Houston dumped him for essentially nothing, while still under a rookie contract. Where, having moved Green and Brooks, and with Durant generally playing the offensive 4 at this point - the Rockets certainly had room for him - in fact, maybe even a need for some bench scoring. That suggests something. Whitmore certainly is a better offensive talent than Terry or Phillips, but the fact that Houston dumped him during a very cheap rookie deal, in this environment, for two mid 2nd, one years away… suggest that maybe he ain’t nothing special himself. In which case there is no practical difference.

Let’s put this conversation in the correct frame: my post is disputing the notion that Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips are just “as good as” Cam Whitmore. That’s the question. It’s not a referendum on the greatness of Cam Whitmore. It’s whether he’s a better young prospect to have on your rebuilding roster than Terry or Phillips.

As for Houston, a log jam remained and in fact got worse. They traded Green and Brooks but added Durant and Finney-Smith. Plus Thompson’s role will expand greatly as he becomes Durant’s heir as the franchise player. And though I don’t know the details, every article I have read said that they wanted to shed salary, and personally wanted to send him to a good fit for him, so the trade for 2 seconds was what they in fact wanted strategically.

Regardless, as long as you don’t think Phillips > Cam to have as a roster asset, I have no reason to argue. I’m not sweating the Whitmore thing one iota. I just disagree with the notion he and Phillips is the same thing. That’s spin. And not good spin.

[Ballerkingn23]

if your desperation for something new has you upset we didn't acquire Cam Whitmore, please take a deep breath.

These end of the bench guys so many are ready to dump - Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, etc. are basically just as good as Whitmore.

Ha! Terry is just a energy guy at best and would be lucky to score 20 pts in any game.

Phillips can be better than Whitmore but isn't yet and unless he has a monster summer I don't see him being better than Whitmore.

Now am I upset we didn't get him, No! Still, we don't need him and IDK if we have a 1 for 1 player to swap for him that the Rockets would accept because that's the only type of deal AK makes.

Terry has scored 17 points twice, once in a game where he played 21 minutes, so I imagine he could score 20.

Whitmore gets shots up fro sure, potentially one of the reason he wasn't i nthe rotation much in Houston. He puts up a lot of shots,but doesn't score with good effeciency.

17 pts twice in more than likely mob up duty when he got most of those pts isn't comparable to a when Whitemore has score his 20 pts on numerous occasions. Now if you want to say Terry is a better defender than Whitmore i'll give you that possibly. But overall player I'm taking Whitemore over all the guys you mentioned with no hesitation.

Now I like Philips, meh on Terry because he's probably only in the NBA because AK reached and drafted

And Terry might not even be in the league if he has another subpar season. Whitemore on the other hand, will be in the league for the foreseeable future. So there is no question who's the better player between the two and you can include Phillips a 2nd round pick who is athletic and very streaky. I'm once again take Whitmore over either guy, 10x's out of 10....

[Dez]

I'm not even a fan of Whitmore, but he brings more to the table than Terry or Phillips largely because Whitmore is the only one who possesses some scoring capabilities. Whitmore can drive and get to the rim, whereas Terry doesn't have the athleticism, and Phillips can't dribble.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Whitmore also can't defend or pass.

There's zero reason to be upset that we didn't get him.

There are like two guys on this roster who can defend. Who cares? We're not competing for anything. Acquire young talent for cheap and let the cream rise to the top.

And do what with him? What possible place does he have here to show he's worth something?

[Ben]

Whitmore also can't defend or pass.

There's zero reason to be upset that we didn't get him.

There are like two guys on this roster who can defend. Who cares? We're not competing for anything. Acquire young talent for cheap and let the cream rise to the top.

I think our problem is that poop floats too and AK can't tell the difference.

We all have busy lives, but I've missed you guys.

[drosestruts]

To put my closing remarks on the Whitmore vs Phillips/Terry discuss that I unfortunately started...

I just want to make clear that all 3 players are pretty bad to me.

Bulls are about 4.5 points better when Phillips sits, Rockets are about the same when Whitmore sits (Terry much worse than both) - but all three have in common that their teams play better when they're not playing.

Whitmore, per his higher usage, certainly does more when on the court than either Phillips or Terry. But his impact, is again, largely the same.

Perhaps he should try to do less, and carve out a role where he can actually be helpful to a team. Unofrtunatley I don't think that's why he's made Washington his preferred destination.

Will be curious if a change of scenery does have any impact for him. I'm not optimistic he's taken positive steps towards improving why he wasn't seeing the court as much in Houston.

If he tries to turn the Wizards into the Cam Whitmore show I think he might actually be detrimental to their rebuilding efforts.

[NecessaryEvil]

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[MisterRoy]

Well, he ain't wrong.

[kodo]

Shams Charania
Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million, Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management tells ESPN.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/ba8616d7c1e37

$57.4M per year.