NEWSLETTER
* Attempts John Mayer voice*
“So we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting for 2021 free agency.”
Thanks to the front office and coaching staff maneuvering this past offseason, Chicago Bulls fans have a lot less to complain about than usual. The bad men who hurt us are now gone, and a new front office is tasked with cleaning up their mess. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley took over this prestigious organization this offseason, and their job is to think of a long-term plan that can transform this organization into a consistent title competitor.
All things considered, that process takes time. What can be considered “Stage 1” took place over the past several months. The team restructured the front office and completely overhauled the coaching staff.
Now that those fresh faces are in place, “Stage 2” can occur – talent evaluation. Most would agree the Bulls have some workable pieces already on their roster. Most would also agree that the way these pieces have been used over the past couple of seasons hasn’t allowed for a good enough read on their potential. For that reason, we’ve seen this new front office head into the 2020-21 season with most of the same personnel. They don’t want to (1) sell low on any talent or (2) give up too soon on any talent. I can respect that.
The other reason this is a rather unexpected move is because of the team’s future financial flexibility. One aspect that made the Bulls front office openings that much more attractive this past summer was the opportunity to make big moves. Not only do they have some tradeable assets on the roster, but the franchise is in a prime position to have max-level cap space in 2021. As Basketball Insiders points out, the Bulls could have as much as $52.2 million in cap space after this season.
Players like Otto Porter and Cristiano Felicio will see their salaries come off the Bulls books. Meanwhile, many expect the team to potentially trade away or move on from some pieces (with Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky as two of the more talked about names), but that’s all speculation for now. Regardless, 2021 is the season that has been rightfully deemed “the season of change” for this franchise.
And while that will continue to be the case, the Bulls might be running into a tiny problem. The coveted 2021 class has taken quite a few hits over the last month. Numerous players have signed some big-time extensions this offseason, taking their names out of the running for 2021 free agency.
Take it away, Bobby …
The once vaunted 2021 FA class:
All off the board with extensions:
LeBron James
Paul George
Donovan Mitchell
Jayson Tatum
Bam Adebayo
De’Aaron Fox
Monte MorrisWho is next to join the list?
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 10, 2020
As annoying as that list is, it’s hard to say that this wasn’t expected. We knew guys like Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, and De’Aaron Fox were all pretty likely to sign their rookie-max extensions this offseason. Additionally, after Bam Adebayo’s breakout campaign, it felt pretty inevitable that he would be in Miami long-term. Paul George, on the other hand, came as a pretty big surprise. The Clippers signed him to the maximum extension on Thursday, and we talked about why that does and does not make sense earlier.
Seeing those names off the list, regardless of circumstance, is still a tad sobering. And it doesn’t help when we consider the fact that the top-2 remaining superstars on that list could be off soon, as well. Giannis Antetokounmpo still might sign his max extension in the coming weeks, and we can’t rule out the possibility of Kawhi Leonard inking some kind of extension with George now done.
After those two potentially major gets, here is an example of the starting-caliber talent in the 2021 class:
• Rudy Gobert
• Chris Paul**
• Victor Oladipo
• Kyle Lowry
• DeMar DeRozan
• Jrue Holiday**
• Blake Griffin
• Andre Drummond
• Kelly Oubre Jr.
• Spencer Dinwiddie
• Devonte Graham*
• Dennis Schroder
• Jonathan Isaac*
• Norman Powell**
• Josh Richardson**
• Luke Kennard*
• John Collins*
• OG Anunoby*
• Lonzo Ball*
• Tim Hardawary Jr.
• Cody Zeller
*Restricted, **Player Option
Don’t get me wrong, that’s still a good group (and it’ll be even better if Leonard or Antetokounmpo stays on the list), but the more superstars who have their name crossed off, the less of a chance the Bulls have at landing a franchise star.
I still expect the Bulls to make a number of moves next offseason with this class in mind. However, as the quality starts to diminish a bit, the team might want to speed up the process. A key term I keep going back to as the season approaches is “active decision-making.”
Once this new front office decides a player doesn’t fit the long-term vision, particularly a former “core” member, I’d like to see them hit the trading block. I understand it is important to build value, but this franchise simply can’t solely rely on free agency as the primary difference-maker. Improving this team also goes through the trade market and draft. With that in mind, will the “season of change” start a bit sooner than expected? Stay tuned.
