Chicago Bulls: Complete 2017 offseason grades

The Chicago Bulls have had both an interesting and relatively quiet offseason. Here’s a look at how they graded out for each move they made.

On the heels of another mediocre season, coupled with a first round postseason exit, the Chicago Bulls entered the offseason knowing a change was needed. It was no longer a matter of if, but when.

The concern was how the front office would go about implementing the changes needed in order to take the team in a different direction.

Could the Bulls stand pat and hope the team would play better with another year under its belt? Throw big money at high-priced veterans the way several teams did during the free agency period last year?

Or would the Bulls do the unthinkable and start moving pieces in order to acquire younger talent?

There is never a simple answer when it comes to deciding if you want your team to remain competitive compared with starting from scratch. As a surprise to many, the Bulls chose the latter in the hopes of restructuring the roster to proceed with the unenviable task of rebuilding.

So how did the Bulls fare during what proved to be an interesting offseason? Here is a look at their complete 2017 offseason grades for each move they have made.

Bulls deal Jimmy Buckets to Minnesota Timberwolves

When the Bulls selected Jimmy Butler with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the payoff was not an immediate one. During his rookie season, Butler averaged 2.6 points in 8.5 minutes per contest.

Along with improving his scoring output in every season he’s been in the league, Butler has been far and away the best player on the Bulls’ roster over the last three years. During that stretch he has averaged over 20 points per contest while becoming the team’s No. 1 scoring option.

Despite his surprising rise to stardom, the Bulls deemed him as expendable and dealt him (and their No. 16 overall pick) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen.

This move came as a surprise to Bulls fans considering the front office advised they were not shopping the three-time All-Star. So what did the Bulls get in return for their longest-tenured player?

Let’s start with Dunn. He’s regarded as an above-average defender, but offered little from a scoring perspective during his rookie season. In fact, he shot 38 percent overall and converted just 28.8 percent of his attempts from distance while averaging 3.8 points per contest.

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Additionally, in his lone Summer League appearance, Dunn scored 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting, which means he still has a lot of work to do in terms of developing a consistent jump shot.

As far as LaVine is concerned, the story is slightly better. He averaged 18.9 points per outing in 47 appearances for Minnesota before going down with an ACL injury. It is also worth mentioning he shot a respectable 39 percent from beyond the arc.

The caveat here is the front office will more than likely take a conservative approach in terms of how long it will be before LaVine returns to the court. In other words, it will be a while before fans are able to see if LaVine has what it takes to replace the guy the Bulls willingly gave away.

At the time this trade took place, I felt the Bulls could have held out for more. A few months later, that opinion has not changed.

Grade: D-

No. 7 pick: Lauri Markkanen

The Bulls dealt away their best perimeter shooter in Doug McDermott prior to the trade deadline back in February. On top of that, they finished 24th in the league in 3-point shooting.

That being said, one of the needs the Bulls had going into this year’s NBA Draft was acquiring a player who could knock down the long ball.

Enter Lauri Markkanen.

During his lone season with the Arizona Wildcats, Markkanen averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. What impressed the Bulls about Markkanen is the fact he converted 42 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

The other side to this story is Markkanen is not a great rim protector, as he averaged less than a block per contest last season. Along with that, the rookie isn’t considered overly strong for a player his size and he often has a difficult time when it comes to holding his own on the glass, which is significant because rebounding is one of the areas the Bulls excelled in last season.

Perhaps Markkanen will turn out to be the stretch-4 the Bulls have been seeking the last few years. If that does happen, maybe the fans will be forgiving about the fact the organization included its No. 16 pick in the Jimmy Butler deal in order to acquire his services.

Grade: C

Re-signing Cristiano Felicio

The story of Cristiano Felicio is an interesting one. Two years ago, he was far from being a household name when he was invited to play on the Bulls’ Summer League squad.

Since that time, though, Felicio has become a fixture among the second unit. During his rookie campaign, the Bulls big man averaged 3.4 and 3.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per outing. He improved on those numbers in 2016-17, posting averages of 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest.

It is also worth mentioning he is shooting a very efficient 57 percent from the field during his first two seasons with the Bulls. Following a somewhat impressive second season, the Bulls and Felicio reached an agreement on a four-year deal worth $32 million.

When the news of the deal broke, it would not have been unreasonable to think the Bulls were overpaying to retain one of their younger players, considering they signed Taj Gibson — a guy who thrived off the bench and in the starting lineup — to a similar deal a few years back.

What makes this move somewhat of a reasonable deal is the fact the Golden State Warriors signed Shaun Livingston to a three-year deal, with a price tag of $24 million. During the 2016-17 campaign Livingston averaged averaged 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

While Livingston has a more versatile skill-set than Felicio and plays for a title contender, the production between the two players is comparable. Taking that into consideration, it is understandable why the Bulls moved quickly to lock him up for the next few seasons.

Grade: B

Signing Justin Holiday to a two-year deal

As was the case with Felicio, Holiday’s NBA journey has been somewhat interesting as well. Since going undrafted in 2012, he has played in the D-League, Belgium and Hungary.

However, despite a so-so start to his NBA career, Holiday has performed reasonably well over the last season-and-a-half. During his first stint with the Bulls (a 27-game stretch in 2015-16), Holiday averaged 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per contest.

After the Bulls sent him to the New York Knicks as part of the Derrick Rose deal, Holiday had his best season to date, with averages of 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds on 43 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.

Despite the numbers, though, the Knicks renounced their rights to him, making him an unrestricted free agent. When that occurred, the Bulls swooped in and offered the fourth-year guard a two-year deal worth $9 million.

Following a somewhat dysfunctional season with the Knicks last season, adding Holiday to the mix gives the Bulls a veteran presence for the team’s younger players.

"“My role, which is kind of weird to say … I’m one of the oldest people on the team, which is a first for me,” Holiday told the Chicago Tribune. “So I guess I can fall into some type of leadership role to help some of the younger guys because I have been through so much.”"

At 6’6”, Holiday’s size and length allows him to guard multiple positions. Additionally, with Zach LaVine rehabbing an ACL injury and the potential buyout scenario with Dwyane Wade, the Bulls are in need of a wing player who can defend and Holiday fits the bill.

It’s not a blockbuster deal by any means, but this is the kind of deal we can expect from a Bulls team that is starting from square one and the fact they didn’t break the bank is another plus.

Grade: B

Bulls acquire Quincy Pondexter

At least for the time being, the Bulls concluded their offseason with a rather strange deal. The scenario in question involves acquiring Quincy Pondexter and a future second round draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans for the rights to Ater Majok.

Pondexter was originally a first round selection by the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2010. During his five years in the NBA, he has played for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Pelicans. In 279 games (including 47 starts), he holds averages of 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls

The odd part about this trade is Pondexter has not been on the court since the 2014-15 campaign. In 45 games with the Pelicans that season, he posted averages of 9.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest, including a 7.3 points-per-game-average against the Warriors in the 2015 NBA playoffs.

So what is the reason Pondexter has been away from the court for such an extended period of time?

The answer: He has had three knee surgeries during that stretch. I’m sure you already know where I’m going with this.

The Bulls acquired a player working his way back from a knee injury in LaVine. The centerpiece of the trade that sent Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to the Thunder back in February – Cameron Payne — will undergo foot surgery that is expected to keep him off the court until November.

Now, they have acquired yet another player who has missed the last two seasons altogether due to recovering from multiple knee surgeries. In other words, don’t expect Pondexter to be a major contributor for the upcoming season. Honestly, the biggest get here might be the second-rounder.

Grade: C-

Overall Analysis

So to recap, here is a quick synopsis of what the Bulls have done this offseason.

They traded away a three-time All-Star who has increased his scoring average every year he has been in the league and posted career numbers across the board in 2016-17. What they got in return was a point guard who is considered an above-average defender, but isn’t considered a major threat from an offensive standpoint.

Additionally, they also got an athletic guard who is working his way back from a serious injury and it is uncertain as to how long it will take him to return to his prior form. With the No. 7 pick – Lauri Markkanen – the Bulls acquired a player who was considered one of the best shooters in this year’s draft class, but comes with his fair share of defensive limitations.

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Despite being 7’0” tall, Markkanen isn’t a great rim protector (0.5 blocks during his lone collegiate season) and the consensus is he has a difficult time holding his own in regards to the ability to boxing out opposing players on the glass. Furthermore, the Bulls included their No. 16 pick in the trade as well. Simply put, this was not was not a great return for what they gave up.

Next, they locked up Felicio for four years and brought back Holiday to the fold after sending him to the Knicks following the 2015-16 season. While neither of these acquisitions will have a major impact, both deals can be considered a positive for a team looking to invest in its young players and seeking stability at the wing spot.

While talks have been quiet between the Bulls and restricted free agent Nikola Mirotic, they did make the decision to acquire a shooting guard who hasn’t played the last two seasons in exchange for a 2018 second round draft pick, which means, for the time being, the Bulls have three players on the roster who are nursing injuries.

Overall, this wasn’t a great offseason by any stretch of the imagination. With an eye on 2018, though, the Bulls aren’t really interested in winning a ton of games, as they hope to be in position to have a high draft pick.

Next: 10 NBA players in need of a trade in 2017-18

Final Grade: C-