No NBA team had a lower projected win total than the Bulls entering the 2017/18 season, but Chicago didn’t look too bad in the first half, picking up victories behind the solid play of guys like Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis, Lauri Markkanen, and Nikola Mirotic. Trading Mirotic and benching some veterans helped keep the Bulls’ win total in check as they continued their rebuild, but that early-season hot streak means they’ll need some draft-lottery luck to nab a top-five pick.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Bulls financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Robin Lopez ($14,357,750)
- Omer Asik ($11,286,516)
- Cristiano Felicio ($8,470,980)
- Lauri Markkanen ($4,536,120)
- Justin Holiday ($4,384,616)
- Kris Dunn ($4,221,000)
- Cameron Payne ($3,263,294)
- Jerian Grant ($2,639,314)
- Bobby Portis ($2,494,346)
- Denzel Valentine ($2,280,600)
- Total: $57,934,536
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Sean Kilpatrick ($2,054,856)1
- Paul Zipser ($1,544,951)2
- Total: $3,599,807
Restricted Free Agents
- Noah Vonleh ($4,333,931 qualifying offer / $10,515,698 cap hold): Bird rights
- Zach LaVine ($4,333,931 qualifying offer / $9,606,654 cap hold): Bird rights
- David Nwaba ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total: $21,822,050
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 6 overall pick ($4,823,489)3
- No. 22 overall pick ($1,974,488)
- Total: $6,797,977
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: $26,660,833
- Our cap projection for the Bulls includes the amount of their 10 guaranteed contracts, cap holds for their two first-round picks, and LaVine’s cap hold, since the Bulls are viewed as a near-lock to bring him back. That result in a total team salary of $74,339,167.
- Even if they bring back a couple other players, the Bulls should have plenty of cap room to work with. However, retaining Kilpatrick, Nwaba, and LaVine and keeping both their first-round picks would add up to 15 players, assuming the team doesn’t trade or release any of its 10 players with guaranteed contracts. Given their roster constraints and the fact that they’re still in the midst of a rebuild, the Bulls seem unlikely to be very aggressive in free agency.
Footnotes:
- Kilpatrick’s exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
- Zipser’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 18.
- The Bulls are sixth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking as high as No. 1 ($8,095,595) and as low as No. 9 ($3,708,089).
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I think the Bulls might want to get a little creative with their roster. I would try to package a combination of Asik, Lopez, and Felicio along with maybe a second round pick to Miami for Hassan Whiteside. You are pretty much guaranteed to get nothing out of that trio other than taking up roster space, but Whiteside could still have an upside even if he is vastly overpaid. For Miami, moving, stretching, or buying out those three contracts would probably be easier than doing the same to Whiteside.
I know Whiteside has fallen out of favor in Miami, but his value has not fallen to the point where all the Heat can get is a bad contract and a second round pick.
When you factor in his $28MM/year salary for the next two years (assuming his player option is picked up), I think his value has fallen that far.
Honestly this is a really good idea. Sending Felicio or Lopez and even the No.22 pick this year could be an awesome buy-low move for the Bulls
Depending on the lottery pick I suppose , if Bamba or JJJ is the selection then this trade would be beyond useless
Bulls don’t have a second round pick
Doesn’t have to be a 2018 pick.
Bulls can only go as low a 1-3 in the draft, spots 4 and 5 are not available because of the way the lottery is set up. So if they don’t get 1-3, they skip the 4 and 5 slots and fall into 6 and up! Look it up!
Didn’t mean to suggest they could land 4th or 5th, so maybe that was worded poorly. I’ve tweaked the phrasing, thanks.