The Bulls have tendered qualifying offers to pending free agents Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio, making them restricted, per RealGM’s transactions log. Mirotic and Felicio are two of Chicago’s four potential RFAs. As previously reported, Joffrey Lauvergne is also receiving a qualifying offer, but Michael Carter-Williams isn’t.
Mirotic, 26, had a solid rookie season for the Bulls in 2014/15, though his numbers haven’t improved much since then. In 2016/17, he averaged 10.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG, shooting 41.3% from the floor and 34.2% from three-point range. His qualifying offer is worth $7,228,063.
Felicio, who will turn 25 next Friday, has a more modest QO of $1,671,382. The big man averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 15.8 minutes per contest (66 games) last season.
Tendering qualifying offers to both players – and to Lauvergne – gives the Bulls the right to match any offer sheet those RFAs may sign. Those players could also accept the qualifying offer from Chicago, which would put them in line for a one-year deal worth the amount of their QO. The Bulls will have until July 13 to withdraw those QOs, assuming their RFAs remain unsigned.
Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune has the latest update on Rajon Rondo, whose 2017/18 salary will become fully guaranteed for an extra $10MM+ if he remains under contract beyond Friday. According to Johnson, Rondo’s contract structure has prompted the Bulls to include him in some recent trade proposals. However, those scenarios don’t appear to have gained much traction.
Unless the Bulls can find a taker for Rondo today, the veteran point guard is expected to be waived, per Johnson.
Wade 100% out now.
Wade has 23 million reasons to stay this year.
Buy out. The Bulls need to tank this year, in order to land a top 5 pick, next year.
Playing Wade (full time) will only ensure that next year’s pick is still middle of the pack. He needs to go, one way or the other.
If he doesn’t want to give back some of the money, then I sit him for 80% of the games.
They don’t have to rank there going to be really bad naturally
Wasn’t Rondo commended last season for his work with the young guys??
Yeah but they have Kris Dunn and Zach Lavine now and probably want to cut some salary, no point having Rondo if he doesn’t have any stars to pass to.
Dunn is a Rondo replica. Why not let Rondo mentor him? $10 mil is nothing in the NBA
Dunn had a .450 avg in college, .354 from 3-pt
His rookie season he didn’t play much, because Thibodeau hates rookies. I’m betting he’ll end up being a much better shooter than Rondo.
Maybe Rondo is the backup PG that Charlotte needs or San Antonio needs(if Mills leaves, Parker retires, or can’t land another FA)
Rondo to the Spurs would be none he’ll of a mismatch. I really don’t think he fits in with their culture
Bulls in full on tank mode
Now that Dunn is there, Rondo would just steal his minutes, even if he is good with the young guys he can’t help teach Dunn how to shoot
No. But he could teach Dunn how to be productive despite not being able to shoot. He’s worth the $10 mil just to mentor Dunn. He doesn’t need to play many minutes to do that.
Is it worth being over the salary cap just to keep Rondo around as a mentor?
Imagine: Bulls tank, give lots of minutes to prospects to develop. Get top-5 pick. Next season, have ROY contender, plus bunch of (hopefully) developed prospects. They will also have over $40 million to spend. They could offer a max deal to Demarcus Cousins. Also Brook Lopez (unite the bros). Could end up being a lightning fast rebuild from Derrick Rose disaster era.
In fact, we might have a great shot at Brook Lopez, just because Robin is already a Bull. Start Cousins at PF, Brook at C, Robin as 6th man.
It could happen.