Chicago Bulls: How roster moves this summer affect the future

This has been a busy summer for the Chicago Bulls. How will the moves made this summer affect next season and beyond?

For the Chicago Bulls, last season was about losing. Losing early, losing late and certainly, losing often. So in reality, last season was a success. Though Nikola Mirotic nearly sabotaged the tank job, the Bulls ended up doing a good amount of losing. In case you haven’t been following along, they lost 55 out of 82 games.

They even lost (technically won) the coin flip with the Sacramento Kings for draft lottery positioning. The Bulls entered the lottery with the sixth-best odds of capturing the top spot and the Kings the seventh. Of course, as history would have it, the Kings ended up with the second overall selection in the draft and Marvin Bagley III, while the Bulls slid to seventh, taking Wendell Carter Jr.

That might be where the losing ends. Beginning in NBA Summer League, Carter showed he was deserving of his selection and probably should have been drafted higher. In 28.8 minutes per game, Carter averaged 14.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

As impressive as these stats were for the Duke big man, they didn’t really tell the whole story. Carter was simply a beast on the court, swatting shot after shot and looking like a franchise building block for the Bulls.

Granted, it’s only Summer League. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always happen once the games count for real. However, we could at least get a good feel for how a player moves on the court and how his game may translate to NBA play.

Don’t forget about the Chicago Bulls other 2018 first round draft pick

With the 22nd pick in the draft, the Bulls selected Boise State forward Chandler Hutchison. A four-year star, Hutchison fits the Bulls’ mold of drafting college veterans late in the first round. Chicago fans are hoping the front office has uncovered another gem like Taj Gibson or Jimmy Butler. Only time will tell, but Hutchison should fit in well with this group.

In Las Vegas, Hutchison averaged 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game. While he struggled with his shot, shooting 40 percent from the field, he should add some much-needed range for the Bulls in 2018-19.

Free agency moves shouldn’t hamstring future plans

The Bulls’ two first round picks weren’t the only roster moves for the front office this summer. In fact, they probably weren’t even the biggest story. Chicago matched the Kings’ offer for guard Zach LaVine, retaining him for four years and $78 million.

Not to be outdone, the Bulls then signed Chicago native and local legend Jabari Parker to a two-year, $40 million deal.

Both Parker and LaVine will be in the second year of recovery from ACL injuries. With that in mind, both deals are relatively low-risk. LaVine’s deal contains injury protections for the Bulls should he suffer additional injuries. Parker’s second year is a team option, so the Bulls can simply walk away after one year.

Neither deal should really affect the team’s ability to attract free agents in the future, especially next summer. The Bulls should have around $27 million in cap space in 2019 when a big free agency class is expected.

Parker’s Chicago Bulls homecoming is a little complicated

Jabari Parker becoming a Chicago Bull is a little complex. On paper, it appears that the deal is risk-averse for the Bulls, but it’s really not that simple. Parker should put up some good stats in Fred Hoiberg‘s offense.

However, he’s expected to play mostly at small forward next season, where’s he’s only played at 21 percent of the time in his NBA career. With Lauri Markkanen, Carter and Bobby Portis in the mix, there won’t be many minutes for Parker at his natural power forward position.

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Then, there are the complexities of Parker’s contract. If he is a success in Chicago next season and the Bulls flourish, they may feel compelled to exercise the team option for the second year. That is a best- and worse-case scenario for Chicago.

If the Bulls extend Parker, he’s on the books for $20 million and eats most of their available cap space, taking them out of any major free agency run. Plus, Chicago may feel even more compelled to offer a longer contract for a 25-year-old player entering his prime.

However, given that the Bulls rarely attract the big-name free agent they are endlessly seeking, Parker’s success in Chicago could pad any future (inevitable) disappointment. It could be that Parker is the biggest name John Paxson and Gar Forman will ever attract to Chicago.

The Chicago Bulls are in a win-win situation for the immediate future

The Bulls are in an ideal situation right now. They enter next season under no illusions that they should be any good. Additionally, they have young talent to develop. It’s the everlasting built-in excuse for young teams. Win, and they exceed expectations and rev up the fanbase. Lose 50-55 games again, as expected, and they should be in the hunt for another high draft pick. It’s ideal for any front office, especially one already benefitting from little to no pressure from ownership.

The key for the Bulls centers on one key virtue: patience. If, and it’s an enormous if, the Bulls can resist the urge to charge after mid-level talents and sign them to max-level contracts, the future looks good.

Lauri Markkanen looks like a star in the making, Carter should be a beast defensively and LaVine could provide the Bulls with volume scoring most nights. Kris Dunn is serviceable at worst as a starting point guard. It’s too early to judge how high his ceiling is. The Bulls should be adding another lottery pick next season to a young squad.

Bulls fans should be pleading for the front office to exude the same amount of patience and transparency that MLB’s Chicago Cubs offered their fans. The Cubs’ front office made very few mistakes in rebuilding the club and was clear about its plans. As Chicago’s most recent champions, the Cubs resisted to urge to sign meaningless free agents that wouldn’t translate to actual wins. That’s exactly what the Bulls need right now. Parker and LaVine will contribute to the stat sheet, but will they contribute to wins?

Looking at the roster, the Chicago Bulls should be decent, but not good

As constructed, the Bulls should be focusing more on development and less on the standings. Tanking isn’t sexy and can get downright ugly, but in the NBA it’s the best way to build a winner. The way the league is set up, stars gravitate to only a few cities as free agents. Chicago has not been one of them since, well, really ever.

The best thing the Bulls can do after this summer is try and do it again this season. I’m projecting the Bulls to win between 33-35 games, which would probably take them out of the running for one of the best players in the draft next summer.

The Chicago Bulls aren’t ready just yet for postseason play, and as long as the front office recognizes that, then they should be okay. This team shouldn’t be actively tanking and it probably won’t, but it’s poised for one last lottery performance before hitting the NBA’s big stage.