Offseason Grades - Chicago Bulls

[bondom34]

Starting up a new division, even if we're not daily, but the Central starting with the Bulls.

Mamba4Goat's offseason grade:
Chicago Bulls transactions

Front office
None.

Draft
Drafted Ayo Dosunmu at #38.

Trades
Traded Garrett Temple (S&T), Tomas Satoransky, 2024 2nd rounder and cash for Lonzo Ball (S&T, 4/$80M).
Traded Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders for DeMar DeRozan (S&T, 3/$85M.)
Traded Daniel Theis (S&T) to Houston for cash, TPE.
Traded Lauri Markkanen (sign and trade) for Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 first round pick and 2023 second round pick from Portland

Free agency
Acquired Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in S&Ts, as above.
Re-signed Javonte Green, 2 yr.
Signed Alex Caruso, 4/$37M.
Signed Tony Bradley, 2/min.
Signed Matt Thomas, 1/$1.67M
Signed Stanley Johnson
Signed Alize Johnson

Offseason Thoughts
The framework of their offseason (minus one specific move) was really good. It set them up very nicely with the exception of depth. Loved them getting Lonzo (for a relatively cheap S+T) as he's a very great fit next to Lavine. Loved Caruso as a backup guard on a MLE-esque deal. Bradley is a nice cheap backup option at center as well. I even liked their flyers (Thomas, Johnson, and Johnson). The Markkanen trade was also something I liked as DJJ is a good role player to put next to Vuc/Pat and a 1st is more than I thought they'd be getting in a S+T.

That being said...Demar DeRozan makes little sense with this group and his contract isn't great. While the bones of this team is great, it lacks depth and an injury to Vucevic or Patrick Williams could severely set them back as their forward and big man depth is basically non-existent. if they can keep the band together and get a Serge Ibaka or Thad Young type for the MLE next offseason I would feel a lot better.

Grade
B+ Despite Derozan and depth concerns they've greatly turned around the team and they look like they're on their way to being a competitive team in the playoffs.

2022 Prediction
5-8 seed while being an injury or two away from the 4th seed.
Offseason in gif form


K_Chile22's offseason grade:

Chicago Bulls transactions

Front office
None.

Draft
Drafted Ayo Dosunmu at #38.

Trades
Traded Garrett Temple (S&T), Tomas Satoransky, 2024 2nd rounder and cash for Lonzo Ball (S&T, 4/$80M).
Traded Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders for DeMar DeRozan (S&T, 3/$85M.)
Traded Daniel Theis (S&T) to Houston for cash, TPE.
Traded Lauri Markkanen (sign and trade) for Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 first round pick and 2023 second round pick from Portland

Free agency
Acquired Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in S&Ts, as above.
Re-signed Javonte Green, 2 yr.
Signed Alex Caruso, 4/$37M.
Signed Tony Bradley, 2/min.
Signed Matt Thomas, 1/$1.67M
Signed Stanley Johnson
Signed Alize Johnson

Offseason Thoughts
Think they did well to nab Lonzo, even if he's a little overpaid, like the fit there with LaVine. Same with Caruso who fits well as a third guard. DDR is where they lost me.
He's a good player, but I don't like the fit and think they overpaid both in terms of contract and value in the sign and trade.
The next biggest move was the Markkanen trade, which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I think getting a first for him in a S&T is great value, on the other, I would have rather had Nance on this team.
Depth moves were fine.


Grade
C+. Did some good, did some bad, but I could see the bad working out.
2022 Prediction
Play in team. 7-10 range.
Offseason in gif form


bondom34's offseason grade:

Chicago Bulls transactions

Front office
None.

Draft
Drafted Ayo Dosunmu at #38.

Trades
Traded Garrett Temple (S&T), Tomas Satoransky, 2024 2nd rounder and cash for Lonzo Ball (S&T, 4/$80M).
Traded Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders for DeMar DeRozan (S&T, 3/$85M.)
Traded Daniel Theis (S&T) to Houston for cash, TPE.
Traded Lauri Markkanen (sign and trade) for Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 first round pick and 2023 second round pick from Portland

Free agency
Acquired Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in S&Ts, as above.
Re-signed Javonte Green, 2 yr.
Signed Alex Caruso, 4/$37M.
Signed Tony Bradley, 2/min.
Signed Matt Thomas, 1/$1.67M
Signed Stanley Johnson
Signed Alize Johnson

Offseason Thoughts
I'm going to steal a metaphor, but this feels like a nice painting with a smudge and once you see the smudge it's all you look at.

They started out with a fine first day, getting two guys in Ball and Caruso on fair contracts who complement their roster nicely. Well done. Tony Bradley isn't spectacular and I'd really rather him as a 3rd center but for the minimum fine.

Then day 2 of free agency came. Demar Derozan is a fine player, and I don't want this to be something portraying him as terrible or anything of the sort. But he's currently 32, and now signed for 3 years when he will be at age 34 making $29M, I'm struggling to think this is anything more than neutral value in the first year and negative after most likely. This is possibly the most confusing deal handed out this summer I think offhand. And that's without factoring in that he doesn't fit with a roster that's already very thin on defense and they gave up arguably their best defender in the trade and they gave up a first and they didn't re-sign their other best defensive big man in Theis. This whole thing was just a mess of epic proportions and I'm baffled by it.

Then, after all that they turned around and got an asset in a pick for what was probably the 2nd most baffling contract in free agency and the only one that competes with the Derozan one in Markkanen. Honestly getting Nance would probably have made more sense here but getting a 1st and a 2nd for that is really good value even if the direction is weird after the rest of their offseason. And I know the value but I'm confused at why a team seemingly trying to compete in this case went for draft compensation

In the end if they just didn't have the Derozan part this felt like a pretty decent to solid offseason and they'd have some financial and asset flexibility, and not be quite as old. Now they feel a lot more locked in to the level of team they're at (which is pretty much stuck in the play-in) without significant assets or any cap space in the near future. To add to that they have no reliable defenders at forward or center and really very few reliable 4s period (Patrick Williams is going to be tasked with an absolute ton here and they're going to need a massive leap) and no depth. I'm not against a team saying they don't have to be title or bust but this felt like it was all in for the 8 seed to the absolute extreme.

Grade
Edited: Going C-, but originally had:

Spoiler:

C-/D+, I'm between these but between the lack of flexibility, lack of upside, and weird conflicting goals I'm flipping between the two, though last minute I'm leaning C- looking at other grades. Maybe I'm wrong and I'll eat crow, but right now I see a roster with not a huge upside relative to competition and minimal depth that's capped out.

2022 Prediction
8-10 in the East, maybe an outside chance of 7 but I'd lean this range

Offseason in gif form

[BullyKing]

There were really only two moves of consequence. In my opinion, Ball was a B and Derozan was an F so I'm giving them a gentleman's C- overall.

[Texas Chuck]

I try and start by asking myself was there a clear plan? Yes, I think there was. Did they execute their plan? Yes, I think they did. Now I hate their plan, but having one is good as lots of teams didn't much appear to have one so they are going to get more love from me on that basis.

But I don't like DD with Vuc/LaVine. I don't think Ball is worth anywhere near this money. Having made all the other moves and having the chance to take Nance back I don't understand taking a bad player and picks. Like you went all in to be competitive again. Don't backtrack now when you have this giant hole.

Grade: B just because they had a clear vision and executed it. I hate the plan and think they likely never win a playoff series with this core, but good on them for going for it.

[drosestruts]

Very interesting to see other posters' thoughts here on the Bulls offseason.

I spent much of last season on the Bulls board arguing that DeRozan should be our top target over Ball this offseason, as I the unimaginative armchair GM, thought we'd only be able to get one of them. We ended up with both which quite frankly is pretty spectacular from a GM/cap managing perspective.

Onto their fit on the court - I'm actually really excited. DeRozan and LaVine will be the main offensive initiators and I think DeRozan is getting undersold here. His age is frequently brought up, but his game isn't overly reliant on his athleticism (even though early on in his career it's what he was best known for), and he doesn't have an injury history that concerns me.

What I'm most excited about is his playmaking, ability to get to the line, and ability to create for himself.

1. DeRozan averaged 7 assists a game last year on the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA. DeRozan is no shooter himself. That assist average with that cast is frankly elite. He's going from that, to playing alongside 4 guys who all shot 38% or better from 3 last season. If defenses stay home on the shooters DeRozan will feast going 1-on-1, if they come to help, that 7 assists per game could get even higher.

2. Bulls were last in the league in FTA and drawing fouls. DeRozan gets to the line and makes a high percentage of his free throws. This is extra points for Chicago and disrupts the other team's rotations, an advantage they weren't getting last year. Two early fouls on your center? Now we feed Vuc who gets to abuse your backups. Opens up mismatches Bulls can exploit.

3. When things got tight the Bulls were overly reliant on LaVine. There was a game vs the Hawks last year where Zach was absolutely on fire in the first half, scoring 39 points. Atlanta doubled and tripled him hard in the second half and the Bulls couldn't make them pay. That changes with DeRozan. You double Zach hard, DeRozan is scoring or getting someone else a good look, guaranteed.

to me DeRozan is the actual big signing this offseason, and the addition that will most positively affect the Bulls.

[Kurt Heimlich]

I get the general dislike of the Derozan move from a significant portion of posters here. They traded a first and paid Derozan significant money. Gordon getting 4 years 92M kind of put better perspective on the money part for me. Mid 20M's isn't what it used to be as far as "overpaying". I still don't like that we gave up a first to make it happen though, but I wanted it to be Lauri for Derozan which ultimately getting the 1st for Lauri made the net net swap not all that bad.

Ultimately I care more about this team than I did 4 months ago. I get that they're still a questionable playoff fodder team probably, but what was the alternative? Continue floundering as a 10-12th seed roster? Giannis, Harden, Luka aren't walking through those doors. A trifecta of B or C list all stars was the opportunity that was available, and I think it is a risk worth taking given the alternative irrelevancy which they have been mired in for years and on course to continue as previously constructed.

Arbitrary letter grade: B.. better than I expected coming off another downer of a year, but not without flaws and obvious question marks remaining.

[Mamba4Goat]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Bulls lately and the path to trading for a useful forward (think Troy Brown+2nd(s) for House) isn’t too tough and I’m instantly more comfortable with them. A lot of their problems can be solved by subbing DJJ in for Demar DeRozan relatively early into most games and letting Demar run the bench units.

[Skybox]

I love it...teams that have the balls to go all-in should be fan favorites. Look at MIA, an org that will not accept even a season of irrelevance. Riley talks about "interest" in FA's even when they have no cap space and makes stuff happen.

There are certainly questions about defense, sharing the ball, etc but there are also a lot of good things here. DeRozan gets 6+ assists, Lonzo was supposed to be Jason Kidd coming into the league (his role has changed, but he's got elite court vision), and Vuc is a very willing and able passer. Lavine can play more off-ball and, if he truly has an interest in winning, will have a much more efficient impact with all of these threats suddenly around him. If Pat Williams can become the elite, versatile defender and opportunistic scorer he projects to be, he'll complement the others nicely. If Lonzo's shooting is not a fluke, he and Lavine are a formidable and very complementary backcourt as both are big enough to cover other spots or each other.

It's not a perfect situation, but if things go right chemistry-wise, there's no reason this team isn't in the second tier of the newly powerful East- right below BRK and MIL, duking it out with MIA, PHI, ATL,BOS, and just ahead of NYK, IND, CHA, In my opinion.

The talent level is undeniable and Donovan is a proven Coach. If he can coax some defense and ball movement out of his studs and solidify his bench, the upside is what I described. I say B+ offseason, especially in light of how CHI has been floundering in irrelevance for a while now. Good for this new FO going for it.

[ChettheJet]

People can dislike the DeRozan signing, he's only slightly more expensive than Aaron Gordon now so if you were really building a winning team, not just filling the stat sheet, which would you sign?

The Bulls were going to part ways with Otto Porter jr, now who could they have signed outright for that $28.5M is one question. Moving him in a trade for assets was a better move than just getting cap space not being sure who you could sign with it. They made the deadline deals, They got an all star center in Nikola Vicevic, they got a former FRP in Troy Brown jr, an athletic guard in Javonte Green, all on the current roster. The got Daniel Theis who it would have been nice to resign.

They moved on from a #7 pick who was an undersized center, no 3pt threat who was annually getting injured. Wendell Carter jr. A former SRP who at best was going to be a back up center because his shooting range was 4 feet and he had no offensive moves and two years, injured in both. Daniel Gafford. They moved on from former FRP Chandler Hutchison who if he could have stayed healthy had the starting SF job for his to lose but never played half a season. Yeah they spent 2 FRPs this year a #5, they had 3 straight years at #7 and didn't get players who advanced their games as much as expected, so how was continuing that path going to make the team any better?

Did the deadline deals pan out? No but realize Zach Lavine sat with COVID restrictions so he and Vucevic played all of 5 games together. Those 5 games weren't going to carry them to the playoffs.

Off season they moved on from from a $10M backup PG who started in his first when he showed up and never made the step up as a playmaker, as a shooter or an offensive threat defenses paid attention to. Tomas Satoransky was replaceable. The trading got going when moved on from Thad Young who at his age wasn't going to be a starter and was too expensive to just come off the bench and give what he did last year, and do it one year older. Garrett Temple in hi 16th year really didn't figure to be a difference maker in the rotation. Ryan Arcidiacono was the coach's kid, the scrappy player, the gym rat, the pest the other team hates, what he wasn't was any kind of offensive threat or stopper on defense. Denzell Valentine was a former lottery pick, he looked like he might be something as a rookie but just never took charge to merit minutes and showed leadership at times and other times selfishly played himself onto the bench. They moved on from Lauri Markkanen who from the day he showed up had a golden shot. He of course had a new and different injury to come back from every year with the Bulls. Most of the time he looked like the stretch 4 everybody wants, could pop in 24 points from inside, he could drive to the basket, a fair rebounder for being thin but then there were games were he was invisible, 6 points on 12 shots, weak on the boards and flat out off his game. And there was no way to know which guy was going to show up for a 3-5 game stretch. getting something for him was a blessing.

The only 3 players left from training camp last year are Lavine, White and Williams. And that's because the guys that they moved weren't going to get any better and there were no playoff chances in sight. But with Lonzo Ball and Demar DeRozan starting with Vucevic and holdovers Lavine and Williams, they have the look of a playoff team. Coby White as 6th man,Troy Brown jr, and Javonte Green remain from last season. Alex Caruso, Tony Bradley, Derrick Jones jr and Alize Johnson are solid NBA reserves. Stanley Johnson and Javonte Green are not used up, Ayo Dosunmo is a 2nd round pick to look at, likewise Marko Simonovic from Europe both are deep on the depth chart with time to practice and learn.

If you compare the roster that opened last season to this one if you don't see a dramatic difference, you need glasses.

[gom]

I also like the Bulls offseason, especially when combined with their late 2020-2021 season moves. DeRozan should fit really well. He is a consistent player who adds experience to a young team. I also feel Lonzo Ball has not found an ideal landing spot. Maybe it is Chicago beside Lavine. Even if not, though, I still see the offseason as positive. Derrick Jones Jr and Zach Lavine are going to punish that rim.

My grade is a B.

DeRozan for a remote FRP and two SRP does not sound expensive to me. Besides, they got a first and a good young player for Lauri Markkanen, so that's a wash.

The Bulls were already a solid team that underperformed. I do not have them as favorites for home court advantage, because the East has the Nets and the Bucks on top and a host of other teams who are in plain ascendance (Hawks and Knicks for example). I do see the Bulls in the playoffs, and I can see them surprising people.

[HartfordWhalers]

Draft
Drafted Ayo Dosunmu at #38.

Trades
Traded Garrett Temple (S&T), Tomas Satoransky, 2024 2nd rounder and cash for Lonzo Ball (S&T, 4/$80M).
Traded Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders for DeMar DeRozan (S&T, 3/$85M.)
Traded Daniel Theis (S&T) to Houston for cash, TPE.
Traded Lauri Markkanen (sign and trade) for Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 first round pick and 2023 second round pick from Portland

Free agency
Acquired Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan in S&Ts, as above.
Re-signed Javonte Green, 2 yr.
Signed Alex Caruso, 4/$37M.
Signed Tony Bradley, 2/min.
Signed Matt Thomas, 1/$1.67M
Signed Stanley Johnson
Signed Alize Johnson

Offseason Thoughts

The Amazing:
Sorry, going to plug Tony Bradley here. Act surprised.

The Good:
Ball -- Great move.
Caruso -- Solid move.
Their team wants to win now and needed defense. They got solid defenders and they can grow with LaVine. I like this a ton.

The fine ... but:
Lauri for a 1st. When you are a win now team, why not take Nance. And if the argument is we cannot afford to pay the tax in 2 years but want to be good enough to keep our star player to sign then, well, i think you are busy driving in forward and reverse too much. Value is fine. Just really would have loved nance to further shore the team up, especially as pf is a bit weak now.

The meh/bad:
Derozan. Age is a bad fit. And I don't know that LaVine/DDR/Vuc as a threesome make sense. I view it as a 1st for the salary dumps involved but I think they would have been better off not doing this deal. So, its not straight awful. But it is meh/bad.

The bad: As much as I like Bradley, I think Theis should have been brought back.

B. Would have been an A without Derozan's deal.

[psman2]

B. They have a direction and will be a better team. That is not something that could be said about a lot of Bulls teams in recent history. I think it is all likely fruitless since they don't have the talent to go all the way and will fail with only a couple of 2nd round playoff appearances over the next 3 to 4 years, but at least I now want to watch the team play.

I don't get the point of holding onto the Portland 1st. If you are signing DD to that contract you are going all in. Why hold back the pick, so you can draft some guy next year at 18 that likely is not part of your rotation. Maybe Nance wasn't the right guy, but I still hope they make another move for a 4/3 before the season, Williams has potential but I wouldn't want to open the season expecting big contributions from him.

I know a lot of people don't like the DD SNT, but what was the best player that Chicago could have landed with same package (Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders). DD wouldn't not have been my 1st choice, but given the likely choices it not the worst if you are determined to go all in. I guess in hindsight I would have resigned Theis if he was willing and maybe kept Young and see what Aminu 2025 1st rounder, and 2022 and 2025 2nd rounders along with the Portland pick and DJJ could get me. I think that is an interesting equation to ponder.

Prediction: 5-8

[pacers33granger]

I guess I'm in the minority here because I like Derozan way more than Ball, though I don't like that they gave up assets to get him. Derozan at least likely provides one high level skill with his scoring (yeah I know the fit is iffy). Ball provides some alright skills and that's about it. He's a solid passer. He's solid at hitting open threes now. He's a decent defender. But those are his best qualities. He's not a bad player, but he's a role player.

[bondom34]

FWIW, editing because I'm going with the C-. But I'm probably reasonably close to this:

There were really only two moves of consequence. In my opinion, Ball was a B and Derozan was an F so I'm giving them a gentleman's C- overall.

It'd have been like a B+ without Derozan and I don't think it would have been much a difference in where they end up in the standings. They're fighting for the 8 seed either way.

[HartfordWhalers]

FWIW, editing because I'm going with the C-. But I'm probably reasonably close to this:

There were really only two moves of consequence. In my opinion, Ball was a B and Derozan was an F so I'm giving them a gentleman's C- overall.

It'd have been like a B+ without Derozan and I don't think it would have been much a difference in where they end up in the standings. They're fighting for the 8 seed either way.

Caruso really fit a need for defense hustle and a sf.

[bondom34]

FWIW, editing because I'm going with the C-. But I'm probably reasonably close to this:

There were really only two moves of consequence. In my opinion, Ball was a B and Derozan was an F so I'm giving them a gentleman's C- overall.

It'd have been like a B+ without Derozan and I don't think it would have been much a difference in where they end up in the standings. They're fighting for the 8 seed either way.

Caruso really fit a need for defense hustle and a sf.

Yup, I liked that too (though I don''t think he's a SF). And the Markkanen trade was solid value. The Derozan part was just such a mess of a bad/pointless move that didn't change anything for them ultimately.

They have no depth and few defenders, and they overpaid an older free agent who's a pretty questionable fit at best. Said it in the OP but it's a nice painting with a big smudge.

Edit: But if they're going all in then not taking Nance was just even more questionable.

[HartfordWhalers]

Edit: But if they're going all in then not taking Nance was just even more questionable.

And I actually think I hate this more than the DDR deal; although they did get fair value so maybe they swing it elsewhere. But I really see a need for Nance exactly, while DDR looks like fishing for overpriced, older talent that doesn't match the roster...

[bondom34]

Edit: But if they're going all in then not taking Nance was just even more questionable.

And I actually think I hate this more than the DDR deal; although they did get fair value so maybe they swing it elsewhere. But I really see a need for Nance exactly, while DDR looks like fishing for overpriced, older talent that doesn't match the roster...

And-1ing this as I don't dislike it more but I think it almost annoys me as much in a way? Like they did all this and overpaid and decided to see what they could do this year and then punted for future value on a player/position they need. Nance could probably have been somewhat of a Young replacement. And they have nothing at this point in terms of depth at a few spots.

[Rapcity_11]

Why are people saying Gordon's deal is slightly more than DeRozan? It's 26% more annually. That's significant. It's also likely that Gordon's deal comes in at $88M, which is barely more than DeRozan over 1 more year. Gordon is also 6 years younger.

Also, you don't get credit for having a plan when that plan involves playing 3 poor to horrific defenders together.

[Prokorov]

The OP grades make sense to me. and i have had a general head scratch reaction to all the "bulls did great, should be a top 6 contenter in the east" stuff.

To me the Vucevic trade last year was a really poor deal that made them worse on the floor. They then followed that up by moving guys i thought were key glue guys and brough in a bad fit in derozan. i love caruso and ball was a nice signing but i think his value is minimizes by lavine/derozan/vuc. Ball doesnt need every touch, but unless he becomes 6th man im not sure where his volume goes.

Markanen i guess had to go, and its unfair to tie in last seasons moves. but going away from a lower cost role playing stretch 5 to roll with a high volume high salary 1/2 option 5 just doesnt make sense to me in todays league.

i think the bulls are as likely to get worse as better. and thats with me predicting Lavine becoming a top 12-15 guy

[coldfish]

Random comments:
- Zach was actually one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA but he rarely got a chance to do it because he was running the offense
- DDR averaged a lot of assists and was one of the best pick and roll ballhandlers in the NBA

The overall intent is to have DDR run the offense frequently, particularly with the bench group.

Not sure this will work but the team is deeper than people are acting like (Coby White is now the 7th man), can shoot and it fits. Defense is a concern and overall, this is a group of career losers. I get the concerns but its to the point where people are sleeping on them.