NEWSLETTER
Instead of typing it out again (#lazy), I’ll just drop this tweet:
Btw, I just wanted to say thank YOU for a fun season.
I know the outcome may leave a bit of a sour taste in our mouths, but I do think we're in store for a fun summer and a better 2021-22 season!
Look forward to talking about all the offseason storylines with y'all.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 17, 2021
Seriously, thanks for following along this season. I can’t wait to dig into the offseason.
• Hooray?
Closed the season with a W over the Bucks.@ConstellationEG | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/kc6y21CWg7
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 17, 2021
• As much as I want to bicker about the fact the Bulls won last night – thus worsening their chance at a Top-4 pick – I think that will ultimately fall on deaf ears. Not only does it always feel odd to complain about a win, but why fight about what can’t be changed. The Bulls lottery odds took a hit (dropped from 26.3 percent to 20.3 percent – tied with Pelicans and Kings), and we now have to live with that as we head into June 22nd. Instead, we might as well focus on what will change. The Chicago Bulls have a sizable number of roster spots that could open up this summer, and the number of changes we saw from this front office at the trade deadline could suggest they are prepared to add a handful of new faces in the coming months.
Some contract stuff to think about as the offseason arrives …
Restricted free agents: Markkanen, Green
Unrestricted free agents: Theis, Temple, Valentine, Felicio
Team option: Arcidiacono
Partially Guaranteed contracts: Satoransky, Young
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 17, 2021
• Easily one of the largest storylines this summer will be what Arturas Karnisovas decides to do with Lauri Markkanen. The front office leader has been vocal about his desire to keep The Finnisher around in the past, however, rumors at the trade deadline said otherwise. It will only be a matter of time before Karnisovas has to put his money where his mouth is, though. I have little doubt there will be a number of suitors for the restricted free agent this offseason. The Bulls will then have to decide if they match a potential contract thrown his way or let him walk. I’m sure a handful of fans will advocate for the latter, but we should keep in mind that is likely a poor business decision.
• You don’t want to lose assets in the NBA, and Markkanen (potential fan frustration aside) could still be considered a decent asset. He is 23-years-old, and he is coming off the best shooting season of his career (48.0 FG%, 40.2 3PT%). Someone could likely talk themselves into that. No, I’m not saying the Bulls could turn Markkanen into a lottery pick – not even close. But turning him into literally anything is better than letting him walk away for nothing. With that in mind, we should see the Bulls push for a sign-and-trade deal with whatever team does express interest in him this offseason.
• Meanwhile, guys like Cristiano Felicio and Denzel Valentine will walk for free. Both guys will hit unrestricted free agency this summer after an incredibly bumpy Bulls career. Felicio finessed a four-year $32 million contract from the old regime after playing on a 2-year $1.4 million deal. Over his six seasons in Chicago (all of his NBA career so far), he averaged just 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds on 57.2 percent shooting from the field. He recorded 20 starts and appeared in 252 of 465 possible games.
• Valentine, who was drafted by the Bulls with the 14th pick in 2016, spent five seasons in Chicago averaging 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He also shot 37.3 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from downtown. There was a time where it appeared he could be a rotation player for this Bulls team, especially after an encouraging sophomore campaign, but injuries (missed the entire 2018-19 season due to reconstructive ankle surgery) and inconsistent play will (likely) lead to the end of his tenure in Chicago.
• Billy Donovan spoke with the media for a long time after last night’s game, and I’ll share most of my thoughts on his comments in a separate post soon. The following statement about the post-trade drop-off fits well in these bullets, though: “I’m just every day trying to figure out a way to kind of make all these pieces and parts work together because you just don’t want to get to a situation where you’re saying we’re only going to play these two or three guys, these other guys are going sit down because a lot of times on our roster there wasn’t this great separation.”
• The last part of that is what sticks out to me. The fact there isn’t a lot of separation between the role players is a problem. There needs to be an easier and more well-establish hierarchy so it’s easier to run rotations. Perhaps Donovan still mixed-and-matched more than he needed to, but I agree there is a gray area on the roster, and that simply means the organization needs to add better talent.
• I mean … it could be worse, right?
Bulls final ratings:
Offensive: 110.4, 21st
Defensive: 111.5, 12th
Net: Minus-1.1, 20th— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) May 17, 2021
• #BullsLegend
Tony Snell is officially the first player in NBA history to have a 50/50/100 season (min 100 attempts).
50.9 FG%
56.9 3P%
100 FT%— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 17, 2021
• One of the league’s most well-known voices is finally calling it a career.
A legendary career 👏
Hall of Fame broadcaster Marv Albert announces his retirement following TNT’s coverage of 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/2UyTfaG53y
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 17, 2021
• I’m excited to watch some stress-free hoops!
NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule: pic.twitter.com/79H25oqJsz
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 17, 2021
