Chicago Bulls: Roster predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

Robin Lopez and Cristiano Felicio will be back in the fold

When you look back at what happened with the Bulls team this season, a few factors will fly under the radar. One of those factors is center Robin Lopez.

Once regarded as a center with a limited offensive game, Lopez has become a reliable mid-range jump shooter for the Bulls. Along with that, he posted a career high in points (11.8 per game) and even when his role was reduced following the All-Star break, he was the consummate professional, even though his production was consistent throughout the season.

Of course, there’s also the fact that Lopez is owed $14.3 million next season, which probably won’t draw much interest from other teams around the league. Although there has been speculation about Lopez being a possible trade candidate at next year’s deadline, that won’t be the case unless the Bulls defy the odds, wind up with the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and select a new franchise center.

The odds of that happening, though, are very slim, so I expect Lopez to finish out the last of year of his contract with the Bulls.

As far as Cristiano Felicio is concerned, the Bulls didn’t exactly get their money’s worth after signing him to a generous contract (four-year, $32 million) during the offseason. During the first half of the season, Felicio played poorly at both ends of the court and as a result, he sat out 26 of the team’s first 58 games.

Thanks to the front office giving the reserves more court time during the second half of the season, Felicio managed to turn things around. In 16 appearances as a starter, he produced 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest compared to just 4.1 points and 3.2 boards per outing coming off the bench.

Being that there won’t be a lot of teams clamoring for his services; the Bulls are hoping that Felicio gets off to a better start next season.