Building the Bulls 2026-2027 Season

[meekrab]

Just please do the simple things right and jettison the crappy geriatric two way guys and find some raw young athletic guys who might actually develop. Yuki and Mac are older than Williams and Ivey, they're not going to suddenly figure out how to be effective NBA players.

[sco]

We do have the opportunity to tank/develop guys and punt on adding talent that will bring W's next season. We can already see that a Giddey/Matas/marginal starters/youth is bad enough to nab a good pick. We can just fill up the remaining roster with attractive expirings and prioritize Matas' development and give entitlement minutes to Noa, and our picks. Might even bring us a new GM and coach after next season.

[Red Larrivee]

We do have the opportunity to tank/develop guys and punt on adding talent that will bring W's next season. We can already see that a Giddey/Matas/marginal starters/youth is bad enough to nab a good pick. We can just fill up the remaining roster with attractive expirings and prioritize Matas' development and give entitlement minutes to Noa, and our picks. Might even bring us a new GM and coach after next season.

Tanking next season doesn't seem to have much upside. Worse class + new rules likely to be in play. Teams that typically tank are trying to win next season. Tells me everything.

Of course, there's a chance the Bulls are just bad organically, but next year's class is not worth tanking for.

[eierluke]

Even if tanking won't make as much chance as in the past, it won't be that much of a difference, or does anybody think that they'd decide to send the #1 pick to the NBA champion from here on?

No doubt, our current play is a mess. But I believe that the main reason are injuries and lack of continuity.
With the trades we did not lose much quality comparing the main outgoing/ incoming players:
White, Ayo, Vucevic, Huerter, Carter, Terry, Phillips are at best slightly better than Sexton, Simmins, Richards, Yabusele, Miller, Ivey, Dillingham.
Even if we wouldn't change much actively: our current roster, just healthy and with one camp under the belt would be a .40 (33 wins) to .45 (37 wins) team. Way too good to call it a tank, but maybe even good enough for 2027 free agents to consider us.
I'm not a fan of active tanking anyway, but let's not waste our cap flexibility in overpaying some mediocre players.
Let's sign good free agents to reasonable contracts and if that ain't possible this season just "stay put" to give it another try in 2027.
It's further still possible that at some time some capped out team wants to send us a dead contract with a future 1st or with a young prospect on a rookie contract.

"Stay put" to me means
Pickup Millers Team-option (no brainer)
Sign one of our SGs: Sexton/ Simons (I'd prefer Sexton)
Sign one of our Cs (for backup purposes): Richards, Collins, Yabusele (as Richards is our only true C, this should be a no brainer as well)
(I left Ivey out, because AK is going to sign him anyway for not losing face).

Let us further just (actively) watch out what other deal comes along and I'd call it a plan

[LateNight]

(as Richards is our only true C, this should be a no brainer as well)

Absolutely not a “no brainer”. We’re already turnover prone and this dude cannot keep the ball in his hands

[Primo Movement]

We have enough cap space to bring in starting center and we can easily draft one in 2nd round with all the option very likely available. Smith can play occasional 3rd C minutes if needed, otherwise play him as PF.

If starting lineup is something like (because Jones and Giddey work very good in backcourt)
Jones, Giddey, Buzelis, Smith, M.Robinson,
next season im fine with it! Thats solid balanced 5!

Bench with 2 rookies #9 and #35, Miller, Essengue, Williams, Okoro, Dillingham and 2 more free agents, one very likely vet SG aka Grimes/Sexton/Simons and other one depends on roster balance! Final #15 roster spot is another two way guy.

[Dan Z]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

[Guru]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

[sco]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Yeah, I really don't know which direction AK will go, but I'm sure it will have more to do with how safe he views his job come June/July. He clearly picked a lane in terms of focusing on a Matas/Giddey centric team and looking for complementary role players. He's got a lot of dry powder for a couple of meaningful adds with our cap space, but he could easily roll that forward a year by signing guys to expirings.

I agree that Kessler isn't going to add meaningfully to wins. Hartenstein, IMO, would have more impact as he more skilled as a play-making C, in addition to his defensive prowess (although he's not a big shot blocker). And I can't let my overshared appreciation for Watson go undiscussed here. IMO, he's got the potential to be as impactful as getting a top lottery pick, and could be a true #1 option who also brings defensive prowess akin to a Tatum, and could add 15 wins to the Giddey/Matas duo. Problem is that he's probably not gettable because DEN will do whatever they can to find the financial flexibility to keep him, but I would plunk down a $38M AAV deal without blinking. There are definitely no guarantees here, but I trust my eyes and this kid looks like a swing worth taking given our other (even more remote) opportunities to find a centerpiece guy.

[jnrjr79]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

The Bulls cannot outbid Detroit. Detroit can outbid the Bulls. But will Detroit do that? I haven't seen any solid reporting yet about whether they'd be willing to match a max offer or just go ahead and beat one without requiring him to test the market.

Where would you need to go for Detroit to at least have to think about whether to match, depending on how the playoffs go this year? $40M? $35M?

[Dan Z]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

The Bulls could try, but I bet Detroit would match it. He's important to their team.

[Dan Z]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Yeah, I really don't know which direction AK will go, but I'm sure it will have more to do with how safe he views his job come June/July. He clearly picked a lane in terms of focusing on a Matas/Giddey centric team and looking for complementary role players. He's got a lot of dry powder for a couple of meaningful adds with our cap space, but he could easily roll that forward a year by signing guys to expirings.

I agree that Kessler isn't going to add meaningfully to wins. Hartenstein, IMO, would have more impact as he more skilled as a play-making C, in addition to his defensive prowess (although he's not a big shot blocker). And I can't let my overshared appreciation for Watson go undiscussed here. IMO, he's got the potential to be as impactful as getting a top lottery pick, and could be a true #1 option who also brings defensive prowess akin to a Tatum, and could add 15 wins to the Giddey/Matas duo. Problem is that he's probably not gettable because DEN will do whatever they can to find the financial flexibility to keep him, but I would plunk down a $38M AAV deal without blinking. There are definitely no guarantees here, but I trust my eyes and this kid looks like a swing worth taking given our other (even more remote) opportunities to find a centerpiece guy.

I'd rather the Bulls find their own Kessler or Hartenstein. Kessler was a late pick and Hartenstein undrafted (or was he a late 2nd).

Watson too, but I could be convinced that he'd be a good move. The Bulls need someone who can score (Im not big on Simons or Sexton).

[Guru]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

The Bulls could try, but I bet Detroit would match it. He's important to their team.

Can we get to a point where they can't match it? We have more space.

[Guru]

How much better will one of Kessler, Watson or Hartenstein make the Bulls? This year the Bulls are a low 30s win team. Would one of those players (plus improvement from someone like Matas) bump the team up to 40 wins? Maybe.

My point is that I don't think overpaying any of those three (Kessler/Wataon/Hartenstein) really moves the needle for the Bulls.

I'd rather just build through the draft and make smaller signings (maybe Grimes on a cheap deal?). Then continue doing that. Unfortunately, I doubt AK will do this.

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

The Bulls cannot outbid Detroit. Detroit can outbid the Bulls. But will Detroit do that? I haven't seen any solid reporting yet about whether they'd be willing to match a max offer or just go ahead and beat one without requiring him to test the market.

Where would you need to go for Detroit to at least have to think about whether to match, depending on how the playoffs go this year? $40M? $35M?

In some sense, if detroit is our rival...don't we want them to spend as much as possible on Duran. Give him a huge offer. If they won't match we get Duran if they do they are hampered by a huge payday when adding other players. Win-win for the bulls.

[Dan Z]

Does Duren?

Couldn't we just outbid Detroit?

The Bulls cannot outbid Detroit. Detroit can outbid the Bulls. But will Detroit do that? I haven't seen any solid reporting yet about whether they'd be willing to match a max offer or just go ahead and beat one without requiring him to test the market.

Where would you need to go for Detroit to at least have to think about whether to match, depending on how the playoffs go this year? $40M? $35M?

In some sense, if detroit is our rival...don't we want them to spend as much as possible on Duran. Give him a huge offer. If they won't match we get Duran if they do they are hampered by a huge payday when adding other players. Win-win for the bulls.

The other question is how much does 40 million a year Duran improve the Bulls? Would he be worth it at that price?

I'd say no, but you might disagree.

[Guru]

The Bulls cannot outbid Detroit. Detroit can outbid the Bulls. But will Detroit do that? I haven't seen any solid reporting yet about whether they'd be willing to match a max offer or just go ahead and beat one without requiring him to test the market.

Where would you need to go for Detroit to at least have to think about whether to match, depending on how the playoffs go this year? $40M? $35M?

In some sense, if detroit is our rival...don't we want them to spend as much as possible on Duran. Give him a huge offer. If they won't match we get Duran if they do they are hampered by a huge payday when adding other players. Win-win for the bulls.

The other question is how much does 40 million a year Duran improve the Bulls? Would he be worth it at that price?

I'd say no, but you might disagree.

Lets say you somehow win the lottery and get Acuff or Peterson or AJ. You are on a gravy train with biscuit wheels and can contend almost immediately wiht Duren. You are starting Giddey-Stud Guard-Buzelis-Duren....Jones-Smith-Noa-Sexton-Okoro.....who cares. That starting 5 is solid AF.

He would also probbaly pair well next to Boozer.

[Dan Z]

In some sense, if detroit is our rival...don't we want them to spend as much as possible on Duran. Give him a huge offer. If they won't match we get Duran if they do they are hampered by a huge payday when adding other players. Win-win for the bulls.

The other question is how much does 40 million a year Duran improve the Bulls? Would he be worth it at that price?

I'd say no, but you might disagree.

Lets say you somehow win the lottery and get Acuff or Peterson or AJ. You are on a gravy train with biscuit wheels and can contend almost immediately wiht Duren. You are starting Giddey-Stud Guard-Buzelis-Duren....Jones-Smith-Noa-Sexton-Okoro.....who cares. That starting 5 is solid AF.

He would also probbaly pair well next to Boozer.

Peterson or AJ. Yeah i could get behind it even though Duran at that price might be an issue at some point.

[PaKii94]

I like Kessler more than Duran. Duren provides more forceful offense but I put him in like a small C bam tier. Kessler has 95% gobert+ better offense potential

[nomorezorro]

advanced stats love duren as much as the raw numbers do. i don't see why you wouldn't throw a max offer sheet at him if the pistons don't lock him down first

[sco]

advanced stats love duren as much as the raw numbers do. i don't see why you wouldn't throw a max offer sheet at him if the pistons don't lock him down first

Yeah, unless he lays an egg in the playoffs, the Pistons are maxing him.