NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls finished their second-straight season under the 30 win mark just over a month ago – which, no matter how you look at it, was yet another excruciating year. Whether it was lingering injury issues to big-time players, the firing of head coach Fred Hoiberg, or whatever that nonsense was between the players and new head coach Jim Boylen, the Bulls are well overdue for a pick-me-up.
Now, standing in familiar territory with the No. 7 pick in the draft, this offseason will loom large for the state of the organization’s rebuild. Here are the key dates and deadlines to keep in mind as you look ahead to next season.
May 29 – Deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA Draft and maintain their NCAA eligibility. Remember, college players now have a lot more leeway when it comes to declaring for the draft, with the opportunity to return to their respective university after completing the combine and, in some cases, even after hiring an agent. The whole thing can be confusing, so if you want any clarification on how this works, check out the NCAA guidelines here.
June 10 – General deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft (includes international players).
June 20 – NBA Draft! A beautiful day where NBA fans can all come together and share the belief that their second-round pick will amount to something.
June 29 – Deadline to pick-up player or team options. The Bulls head into this offseason with neither one of these situations currently on their roster. Obviously, this can play a big role in possible free agents that the team might want to pursue, but Chicago will not have to worry about this situation until the 2020-21 offseason.
July 1 – The beginning of NBA free agency. At 12:01 a.m., players will become available to meet and talk with teams. However, players can’t officially sign any contracts until July 6. The Bulls biggest roster name that will be hitting the free agent market will be Robin Lopez. The veteran center along with small forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will be the only two Bulls player who will become unrestricted free agents.
July 5-15 – Summer League time. Let’s be honest, it gets better and better every year. The NBA Summer League will allow for the first glimpse and the Bulls new draft pick(s). The schedule is TBD, but we know for a fact that the Bulls will be playing at least five games while in Las Vegas.
July 6 – July Moratorium ends. Let the contract frenzy commence. While players can begin meeting and speaking with teams on July 1, a grace period called the July Moratorium is instituted for teams to think through all their options. Organizations then officially sign their desired players on this date.
July 13 – The last day to revoke qualifying offers to restricted free agents. The Bulls could be running into the situation considering the team does have multiple bench players in the RFA category. Considering the question marks around the point guard position, it’ll be most interesting to keep an eye on whether the Bulls decide to hang onto Ryan Arcidiacono or Shaquille Harrison.
July 15 – Signing deadline for first round picks.
September 5 – Signing deadline for second round picks.
September TBD – Training camp!
October TBD – The Season Begins!!
