3 Ways the Chicago Bulls can utilize their disabled player exception

Way 1: Do nothing with the disabled player exception.

As surprising an option as this might seem to some, it’s probably the most likely option. After all, the Bulls are dangerously close to the luxury tax, and re-signing Ayo Dosunmu to much more than his qualifying offer and using even half of the disabled player exceptions would put them over the tax line. For a team that missed the playoffs last season and figures to be in the same boat next season, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay the luxury tax.

Instead, they can do what most teams do with an injured-player or trade exception: not use it. Doing so probably wouldn’t negatively impact their season too much, and it saves ownership money, so that would seem to be the most likely course of action. That might not sit well with Bulls fans, but barring a hot start to the season, the team may be sellers at the trade deadline.

In that case, they wouldn’t need the disabled player exception since they would be offloading their best players. On the off chance that they are good, Chicago would still have it in their back pocket, but history and luxury tax concerns suggest that they are unlikely to use the exception to improve their roster.