As the NBA Finals is in full swing, the Chicago Bulls, and the rest of the league, are preparing for the offseason.
After falling off in the second half of the season, ultimately losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first-round of the playoffs, Vice President of Basketball Operations Artunas Karnisovas has decisions to make this summer, not only with resigning Zach LaVine but with the rest of the roster.
Reported by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Bulls could be in the market for a defensive upgrade in the middle.
O’Connor notes:
“Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last month that the Raptors have expressed interest in Gobert. I’ve heard those rumblings too. Sources have also indicated the Bulls are a team with interest in Gobert (and other centers on the market, including Knicks free agent Mitchell Robinson).”
Both big men certainly seem to be available going into the offseason. For the Jazz, their team current constructed seems to need a change after consecutive early playoff exits and the recent resigning of head coach Quin Snyder. Adding a dominant defensive presence in the middle like Gobert would take the Bulls to the next level with DeMar DeRozan and presumably Zach LaVine, if he resigns this summer. But the question remains: what’s the price to trade for Gobert?
For the Knicks, they seem to be in the business of shedding money to be able to make a move in free agency or via trade, like for Utah’s Donovan Mitchell or Dallas’ Jalen Brunson. Robinson, who is headed towards unrestricted free agency this summer, would provide Chicago with a young center who averaged 1.8 blocks per game this season and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes. Potentially substituting Nikola Vucevic and his $22M remaining contract for a cheaper and more defensively minded option in Robinson could make sense for the Bulls.
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