Chicago Bulls: Why re-signing Daniel Theis must be an offseason priority

The Chicago Bulls must make re-signing Daniel Theis a priority this off-season.

When the services of Mr. Theis were acquired at the trade deadline, the team was right in the thick of the playoff race. Announcer Stacey King wasted no time in donning the former Boston Celtic with one of the best nicknames in the league, “Theis Theis baby.” The Bulls had just acquired an all-out-hustle, team-first player. At the time, the newly acquired piece looked to be exactly what the team needed to solidify their return to the playoffs.

Daniel Theis will be a free agent this offseason, and the Chicago Bulls cannot afford to lose his defense and rebounding. Re-signing him must be a priority.

Then the wheels fell off. The team lost 11 out of 15 games from April 9th through May 3rd. Although the Bulls were not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs until the last weekend of the regular season, it was this stretch of poor play that guaranteed them an early vacation.

All things considered, the team does have a few moral victories they can take with them into the off-season. Head coach Billy Donovan looked more than ready for the task of guiding a proud franchise back to prominence. Given a full season to gel, the All-Star combination of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević could prove to be special. Rookie player Patrick Williams out-performed most expectations and could prove to be a reliable rotation piece in year two.

Daniel Theis will be a free agent this upcoming off-season. The team has a very real shot at making the playoffs next year. In order to do that, they will need a player who’s willing to do all the dirty work and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to impact the game. Here are all the reasons the Bulls should bring him back next season to do just that.