Chicago Bulls: 3 crucial targets in NBA free agency

the NBA Draft has come and gone</a> — a draft where the Bulls didn’t have a first-round pick — those steps will start in free agency.</p> <h2>The Chicago Bulls have plenty of areas they need to upgrade for the 2021-22 season. These are their targets in NBA free agency if they aim to do so.</h2> <p>Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Mark Eversley will not only need to determine which players to retain from the current roster but also which ones from the open market will best help the franchise.</p> <p>As a team that went 31-41 this past season, the Bulls have multiple issues to address. Given how thin this year’s class is expected to be, they likely won’t find a superstar who can paper over a lot of those problems, but there are still some intriguing names who could provide the team with some positive production. Since there are plenty of names across multiple positions who could fit in that category, let’s just focus on three.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A former Laker </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_429370" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"http://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2018/08/16066321.jpeg">a great fit</a>.</p> <p>Offensively, Ball would give the Bulls some needed playmaking and spacing without siphoning too many possessions away from Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Defensively, he would lighten the load for LaVine &#8212; historically considered a terrible defender &#8212; with his switchability and athleticism, and his length would give the Bulls someone who can generate steals by either jumping into passing lanes or picking someone&#8217;s pocket.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Another former Laker </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_432475" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-432475" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2135,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1312401733.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency, Los Angeles Lakers: Dennis Schroder" width="3200" height="2135" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1312401733.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1312401733-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls, NBA free agency (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Chicago Bulls targets in NBA free agency: 2. Dennis Schroder</h2> <p>Given the Bulls’ obvious need for a point guard means their list of potential signees should extend past one player. One of those other players should be Dennis Schroder.</p> <p>The impact metrics view Schroder as roughly average — Estimated Plus/Minus is the kindest to him at 0.2 — but the Bulls would welcome average with open arms, particularly if it means getting a player who can generate scoring opportunities for others (92nd percentile in Box Creation, 90th percentile in assist rate) and provide solid-to-good point of attack defense (80th percentile in opponent’s pick and roll PPP).</p> <p>Schroder isn’t without his concerns, though. He gets to the rim a lot (95th percentile in drives per 75 possessions) but doesn’t finish those drives off well (11th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim, 47th percentile in adjusted rim field goal rate).</p> <p>His hot-and-cold 3-point shooting (33.5 percent on 3.5 shots per game) returned to its usual levels after what now looks like a one-year aberration in 2019-20. And his defense tapers off when he’s put in rotation (25th percentile in opponent’s spot-up PPP).</p> <p>That said, those negatives shouldn’t deter Chicago from at least gauging Schroder’s interest in signing with the team. He would still represent a marked upgrade over what they already have, and that includes recent draft pick Ayo Dosunmu.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A former...Clipper </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_393105" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-393105" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1201771648.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1201771648.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1201771648-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls, NBA free agency (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Chicago Bulls targets in NBA free agency: 1. Nicolas Batum</h2> <p>The Bulls aren’t just lacking in point guard depth; they need some reinforcements at the wing positions, too. Obviously, they aren’t signing Kawhi Leonard to fix those issues, but sitting idle and hoping that Patrick Williams makes a leap in Year Two doesn’t seem like a wise choice either.</p> <p>Unfortunately, this year’s free-agent class doesn’t leave too many great options outside of Leonard. Otto Porter’s too injury-prone, as Bulls fans are well aware. Andre Iguodala and Trevor Ariza are too old. Options like Reggie Bullock or Doug McDermott have glaring flaws. Players like Tim Hardaway Jr. or Kelly Oubre Jr. are probably too expensive, especially if the Bulls address the PG spot adequately.</p> <p>Perhaps taking a flyer on a veteran like Nicolas Batum would work here. The 32-year-old forward looked washed in Charlotte, but he revitalized his career with the Los Angeles Clippers this past season (2.0 EPM). Known throughout his career for his versatility on both sides of the floor, Batum has become primarily a floor spacer on offense and is not the perimeter defender he once was (29th percentile in opponent’s P&amp;R PPP).</p> <div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');</script><![endif]--> <video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-432193-1" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/02/chicago-bulls-nba-free-agency/2/"https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2021/01/10/0022000142/304/2ea83156-bcea-7abd-8d65-d825bee0e8b0_1280x720.mp4?_=1%22>https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2021/01/10/0022000142/304/2ea83156-bcea-7abd-8d65-d825bee0e8b0_1280x720.mp4