Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
On paper, the Chicago Bulls’ regular-season rotation is set. The roster is not.
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Currently, the Bulls have 12 guaranteed contracts and, in Justin Lewis and Adama Sonogo, two of three two-way contracts filled. Ayo Dosunmu remains a restricted free agent who, even if he does return, projects to land deep on the depth chart.
So what moves do the Bulls have left? How much do they have left to spend? And what targets remain? Here’s a deep-into-the-offseason primer:
What is the depth chart?
The coaching staff and player performance will determine whether or not Jevon Carter or Coby White is the starting point guard. Same goes for Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig or Alex Caruso at power forward. Regardless of who starts, all five will play prominent roles.
Here’s one stab at the Bulls’ rotation for the 12 players currently under contract. Ball, who isn’t expected to play this season, isn't listed. But his $20.4 million counts for salary cap and luxury tax purposes.
| Point guard | Shooting guard | Small forward | Power forward | Center |
| Jevon Carter | Zach LaVine | DeMar DeRozan | Patrick Williams | Nikola Vucevic |
| Alex Caruso | White | Torrey Craig | Craig | Andre Drummond |
| Coby White | Dalen Terry | Julian Phillips | Caruso |
What is the Bulls' remaining spending power?
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls used roughly half of the $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception to sign Carter, whose three-year deal starts at roughly $6.2 million. That means they still have roughly $6.2 million of that exception to spend.
They also have the biannual exception of $4.5 million should they choose to use it, as well as veteran minimum exceptions. And the NBA granted them a $10.2 million disabled player exception for Ball’s loss.
However, the Bulls face a hard cap of $172.35 million. And the franchise only has paid the luxury tax penalty once in its history; that threshold is $165.3 million.
Currently, the Bulls sit at just over $155 million committed to 12 players. Dosunmu’s qualifying offer is $5.2 million. White has $1.3 million of potential incentives in his deal.
Assuming Carlik Jones’ non-guaranteed deal is either waived or re-worked into a possible two-way deal, the Bulls could stay under the tax line pretty easily. But on NBA draft night, executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas said he’d feel comfortable presenting to ownership a plan to enter the tax for a contender.
It’s possible the Bulls round out the roster by staying under the tax line and keeping the disabled player exception as a potential roster-building tool during the season. Any player signed or acquired with that exception must be on a one-year deal.
Even if that exception is used, the Bulls can’t exceed $172.35 million in team salary.
What targets remain?
The Bulls have a guard-heavy roster, particularly if Dosunmu returns or, in a surprise, Jones is kept or Javon Freeman-Liberty is signed to something other than the last two-way deal. They need forwards.
Obviously, at this point of the offseason, the pickings are slim. Old friend Derrick Jones Jr., who declined his player option, remains unsigned. So does Javonte Green.
P.J. Washington, who is a restricted free agent, and Christian Wood are probably the biggest names left. JaMychal Green is available. So is Kelly Oubre Jr.
Whoever is eventually signed, expect the roster to be more balanced.
Will Dosunmu return?
It’s telling that the Bulls moved quickly to re-sign White, the more expensive of their free-agent guard options, while taking the wait-and-see option with Dosunmu. Both were restricted free agents. Management also added Carter on the first night of free agency.
Playing the long game in restricted free agency is very typical. By extending the qualifying offer, the Bulls own matching rights. Dosunmu also could be used as a sign-and-trade chip to add size.
Even if Dosunmu does return, he’s projected to be the fifth guard behind Zach LaVine, Carter, White and Caruso. But his situation actually is quite simple: The Bulls can afford to wait to see if he gets an offer sheet before deciding whether or not to match and, in lieu of that, can sign him to a team-friendly, longer-term deal, target a sign-and-trade opportunity or bring him back on the qualifying offer.