When the Bulls lost out on the Big 3, they immediately turned their attention to making the most of their available cap space by signing former Jazz players Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver. With a ton of financial flexibility still available, Chicago signed Magic restricted free agent J.J. Redick to a 3-year, $19 million offer sheet giving Orlando seven days to match the contract. The Magic have done just that meaning Redick will return to Orlando while the Bulls are forced to look elsewhere in a fairly depleted remaining group of free agents to fill out their roster.
By: David Kay
For Chicago, not landing Redick is not a huge loss since he brings the same skill set to the floor that Korver does; three-point shooting and not a whole lot of defense. However, this now puts the Bulls in a bit of a panic mode as they still need to address several holes on their roster since only eight players are currently under contract for next season. (Click here to check out their depth chart.)
The Bulls still need to find a back-up point guard for Derrick Rose and the free agent candidates is dwindled down to players like Earl Watson, Jason Williams, Nate Robinson, Roger Mason, or restricted free agent Will Bynum. They could also look at bringing back their own free agents Jannero Pargo or Flip Murray.
With Redick out of the equation, Chicago must also address their lack of depth by adding at least two wing players to play behind Luol Deng and Korver (assuming Korver gets the starting nod.) Ideally, they would add someone who can make up for Korver’s defensive liabilities with guys like Matt Barnes, Shannon Brown, and Ronnie Brewer coming to mind. The other wing player needs to be able to lead the second unit as a scorer. There are still some decent options out there in Josh Howard, Richard Jefferson, Tracy McGrady, Rasual Butler, or Luther Head.
An experienced true center to play behind Joakim Noah should also be on Chicago’s wish list. Brad Miller remains a free agent and has stated that he has enjoyed playing with the Bulls so that door remains open though several other teams are rumored to be interested his sevices. If Miller chooses to play elsewhere, how about this for a long shot; Shaq.
The Diesel is on his last legs but seems to be running out of options as to where he can end up next season. While the Bulls may not be able to compete with Eastern Conference teams like the Magic, Celtics, or Heat right away, they are not that far behind depending on how they fill out their roster. Chicago might give Shaq his best chance to win, see decent minutes while also playing in a favorable destination for a character as big as The Diesel. After Shaq, the next best available are experienced bangers Kurt Thomas or Theo Ratliff. Talk about slim pickings.
Free agency is not the only route Chicago can go. With about $18 million left to spend this off-season, the Bulls could always use that cap space as a trade asset for a team looking to dump a bigger contract. The Raptors have been open to finding a taker for Jose Calderon who would provide a back-up to Rose while also adding another shooter to the roster. If the Bulls are desperate enough, they could send Toronto a trade exception and future second round pick for Calderon. However, Calderon is owed more than $30 million over the next three years which is quite the pill to swallow.
The Magic matching Redick’s offer is another bump in the road for what has certainly been a less than ideal off-season in Chicago. Management cannot worry about who they missed out on though as they still have decisions to make in regards to filling out their roster for next season. At this point, there best bet may be finding guys who will take one-year contracts so that the Bulls would have the potential to be a serious player next off-season or even leaving the flexibility to make a major move prior to the trade deadline.
Yet again… decisions, decisions.
Check out more of David Kay’s off-season analysis.