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The Chicago Bulls made a splash in the 2021 offseason, signing multiple key players. This comes after a season where they traded for Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline to make the play-in tournament but still missed out.
With young All-Star Zach LaVine coming into his prime and a contract year, the Bulls need to make him happy by making it into the playoffs this season.
Chicago Bulls roster moves so far in the 2021-22 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls went after big-name free agents, getting DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball in sign-and-trade deals. DeRozan, a deal that pays him $80 million over three seasons, and Ball signed a four-year contract that would pay him the same amount.
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The Bulls also brought Alex Caruso in on a four-year $37 million contract to play a significant role off the bench. Toney Bradley and Stanley Johnson were both signed to more minor contracts for the upcoming season but nicely filled out the bench rotation.
On the other hand, some key players did leave the Bulls over the offseason. Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple were used in the trades to bring both DeRozan and Ball to Chicago. Both players showed veteran leadership last season and played the role of mentor to a young team.
Al-Farouq Aminu was also used in the trade for DeRozan, but Aminu only played six games for the Bulls, not making an impact. Tomas Satoransky is another player that was used in the sign-and-trades this offseason.
Lauri Markkanen was the final piece to leave the Chicago Bulls in a three-way sign-and-trade that had Derrick Jones from the Portland Blazers find a new home in Chicago. Markkanen has struggled to stay healthy in his four years as a Bull and has hardly made the leap most suspected out of a seventh overall pick.
Markkanen went on to sign a four-year $67 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being traded to them.
Important storylines for Chicago Bulls' training camp
1.How will Ball and Caruso fit a backcourt rotation?
With Zach LaVine and Coby White already on the roster, the Chicago Bulls backcourt is stacked with talent. The good thing is that every player can be subbed in for one another.
Ball is an elite playmaker and solid defender. Caruso can be subbed for Ball and offer very similar skills, just not at the same level as Ball. The same can be said about LaVine and White. Both are great on-ball scorers and can be subbed in for one another.
The issue with that is Ball and LaVine being likely starters and taking the bulk of the minutes. How much will be left for White and Caruso to make an impact on a game?
Head Coach of the Bulls Billy Donovan could be creative and run out a three-guard lineup as he did in his final year coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ball and LaVine are both listed over 6’5, so playing one at small forward would be doable.
2.What is DeMar DeRozan’s role?
DeRozan is one of the best midrange scorers in the NBA right now, with most of his points coming in that area. He has been seen as the number one scoring option on almost every team he has played on over the last seven seasons, but he won’t be on the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine has evolved into an NBA All-Star and has improved his offensive efficacy, scoring 27.4 points on just 19.4 shots last season. Along with that, Vucevic, after being traded to the Bulls, attempted 18.8 shots a game and will firmly be the second option on offense this season.
Even though DeRozan only took 15.1 shots per game last season, he still led the San Antonio Spurs in shot attempts. DeRozan could see fewer shots this season, and that isn’t even including Ball's impact, who will also take away some shots from DeRozan.
We have yet to see DeRozan as the third, or even possibly the fourth option on offense before. Seeing how that impacts his game throughout the season will be vital to the Bulls' playoff hopes.
3.Who is the starting power forward?
The biggest issue for the Chicago Bulls right now is a lack of size and depth in the frontcourt. Vucevic will likely compete for an All-Star spot this season like he does every year, and Bradley isn’t a bad backup for him. After those two, the only other two players listed over 6’8 is rookie Marko Simonovic.
It looked like last season's fourth overall pick, Patrick Williams, would've been the starting power forward. Sadly, he suffered an ankle injury that will have him miss about 4-6 weeks. There was little depth behind him, so his injury will be a big blow at the start of the season.
DeRozan was a power forward for the Spurs last season, so he might be the solution until Williams comes back and DeRozan moves back to small forward.
Predicted starting lineup for Chicago Bulls heading into 2021-22 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls have many options in the backcourt, but not many in the frontcourt. Williams’s injury hurts them as the season starts as he would have started in the power forward position. White is also recovering from surgery and hurting the short-term depth of the frontcourt.
The Bulls will need to start all three of their key free agent signings at the start of the season, along with their two stars from last season.
Point Guard – Lonzo Ball | Shooting Guard – Alex Caruso | Small Forward – Zach LaVine | Power Forward – DeMar DeRozan | Center - Nikola Vucevic
