Forget about the draft, let’s talk about free agency!
When Bulls-related free agent whispers started at the conclusion of the regular season, Milwaukee’s restricted free agent point guard Malcolm Brogdon was one of the first to enter into the picture. And with an estimated $20+ million in cap space for the organization heading into July, the Bulls will certainly have money available to throw at a player of his caliber.
Brogdon comes in with a higher price tag than guys like Darren Collinson, Patrick Beverley, and Ricky Rubio, but he is still an obtainable target for the Bulls if they’re willing to drop the bag.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks appeared on The Jump earlier today and discussed what the asking price for the 2017 Rookie of the Year might be. Remember, Brogdon is an unrestricted free agent, so an interested team will have to pitch an offer that the Bucks will refuse to match. With that being the case, Marks said he could see Brogdon bringing in as much as $20 million per year on a 4-year, $80 million deal.
A team he said that could make such as offer: The Chicago Bulls.
https://twitter.com/NBATheJumpFP/status/1141797671818203138
Note: Marks wasn’t exactly reporting that the Bulls *do* have an offer out there or even necessarily *will* anytime soon. But their inclusion is still noteworthy and a perfect opportunity to re-open this dialogue.
The Bulls make sense to be in the conversation for Brogdon as they look for their point guard of the future. Brogdon is 26-years-old and plays a very well-rounded style of ball. The Bulls need shooting and a facilitator on the court, Brogdon accomplishes both those tasks. We watched him defer nicely to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton last season, yet still manage to score his 15.6 points per game.
All things considered, Brogdon had a great year. In fact, Brogdon put up the best stat line of his career this previous season despite having some injury troubles. He averaged 15.6 points per game with a 50.5 percent field goal percentage and a 42.6 three-point percentage and actually became only the 8th player in the history of the league to put up a 50-40-90 (FG%, 3FG%, FT%) stat line. So to say the guy is efficient would be an understatement. In short, Brogdon really seems like the type of player any organization would like to have on their roster, but that doesn’t mean just any organization would pay him $80 million.
Brogdon most likely will never be a top-NBA star, but he will surely have a successful career and help manage whatever team he is on. He definitely wouldn’t be a bad addition to this current Bulls squad, but you have to ask yourself whether he is worth the rather large price tag.