The goal all along for Arturas Karnisovas was to make the Bulls a destination place.
It’s now time for the executive vice president of basketball operations to find out if the juice was worth the squeeze.
Starting on Friday at 5 p.m., teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents and their representatives. Obviously, back channels have been busy for weeks, as teams have been sending out feelers in the shadows.
Karnisovas and the Bulls, however, find themselves in a precarious position.
They just missed the playoffs – losing to Miami in the final play-in game – but are built to win now. With little cap space, they are in position to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be in that $12.4 million range, or can use one or both of their biannual exceptions of $4.5 million.
What does that really mean now that backup center Andre Drummond opted in for $3.36 million on Thursday?
They’ll still find themselves in a bidding war with more competitive teams that are also cap-strapped, all trying to land more veteran shooters and possibly a play-maker at the point.
Given a choice between the Knicks or the Bulls would a Donte DiVincenzo turn down the “Big Apple” with all things being equal? New York is in a much better position than the Bulls over the next few seasons, including being fresh off a playoff run into the second round.
Max Strus and Gabe Vincent? Same situation. If they don’t want to stay with the Heat, there are better teams looking to add the two scorers.
That means the Bulls may have to shop at the discount rack, trying to land the likes of a Seth Curry, Jevon Carter or a Georges Niang.
Players that will undoubtedly help the shot profile for the Bulls, but Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat won’t be losing any sleep over those additions.
One intriguing name to keep an eye on: Would the Bulls try to add some edge to the roster by kicking the tires on a Dillon Brooks?
He doesn’t add anything to the outside shooting issues, but the front office and coaching staff knows that this roster is a bit on the softer side, and Brooks instantly brings some toughness to the mix. Will Brooks be highly coveted or has he started to wear out his welcome around the league?
Besides free agents changing zip codes, the bigger fish will be found on the trade market. And that first domino will be Portland All-NBA guard Damian Lillard.
The Trail Blazers are making it sound like Lillard will be staying in the Great Northwest, but it could also be a bluff in the ultimate game of player poker. Miami and New York headline a list of teams that would love Lillard’s services. In many ways, Lillard’s end game will dictate what happens next.
So what does that mean for the Bulls and their best trade chip in Zach LaVine?
As of this week, not much. An NBA source told the Sun-Times that the asking price for LaVine remained astronomical.
Karnisovas could be playing a dangerous game of chicken if that continues.
The new CBA will make adding max players much tougher, and teams are already starting to prepare for that. If the Bulls are serious about cashing in their best trade chip in LaVine and trying to reload this roster on the fly, this offseason might be the best opportunity to do that.
If LaVine is in a Bulls jersey when fall camp starts, the writing is on the wall. Karnisovas and his preaching of continuity has won the day.
