The Chicago Bulls ended the 2021–22 season on a disappointing note when the Milwaukee Bucks knocked them out of the first round of the playoffs in five games.
This is followed by a crucial period of recruitment and roster management for Executive Vice President Arturas Karnisova and the rest of the front office as the Bulls aim to make their first postseason berth in five seasons.
Here are the key dates and topics to track for the Bulls off-season.
Important Dates
- May 16-22: NBA Draft Combine, Chicago
- May 17: NBA Draft Lottery, Chicago
- 13 June: NBA Draft Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline
- June 19: NBA Finals Last Possible Date
- 23 June: NBA Draft, Barclays Center, New York
- June 29: Last day for teams to make contractual decisions and make eligible offers to free agents
- 30 June: Free agency negotiations begin
- July 1: start moratorium; Teams can sign players to rookie, minimal and two-way contracts.
- 7 July: moratorium ends; Teams can start trading and sign players
- July 7-17: NBA Summer League, Las Vegas
- July 13: Last day to withdraw qualifying offers to free agents
- Aug 31: Last day to give discount to players
what to watch this summer
nba draft
The Bulls went to a tiebreaker after finishing with the same 46–36 record as the Minnesota Timberwolves. After winning the draw, the Bulls secured the 18th pick in the draft. This is his only choice this year.
The end of the season revealed two major areas of needed improvement: size and shooting. Those aren’t issues the Bulls can improve through draft alone, but the Front Office will likely address one of those weaknesses as it creates another addition to the young corps.
Last year’s draft quickly paid off for the Bulls, who selected Ayo Dosunmu in the second round and raised the homegrown guard in an unexpected starting role for most of the season.
The Bulls could be in a position to add another Illinois alumnus after center Kofi Cockburn announced to the draft, although a better fit for the frontcourt – such as Auburn’s Walker Kessler – is available with the 18th pick .
free agency
This is an important free agency period for the Bulls. While the front office is unlikely to take as much swing as last year – picking Demar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso – raising the margins of the roster will be the key to getting past the next first round. Season.
The Bulls’ bench ended this season as one of the worst in the league, conceding only 20.6 points per game, and the lack of support became an insurmountable weakness in the playoffs. It will be important to build a more balanced bench for the Bulls this summer.
Meanwhile, Zach LaVine will focus on offers over the summer in his first off-season as an unrestricted free agent. LaVine made clear his intention to weigh all possibilities before signing a new deal. If he departs from Chicago after five seasons, he will leave a vacant spot on the Bulls roster.
nba summer league
The Bulls have not determined how they will use the NBA Summer League – which takes place July 7-17 in Las Vegas – to prepare young players for the upcoming season. While he might be expected to send his draft pick and Windy City Bulls players to Las Vegas, he has not committed to sending Dosunmu and Patrick Williams.
Both players have shown enthusiasm for playing in Vegas this summer, but for the Bulls, it will be a deliberate decision. After making moves for Ball and Caruso, Dosunmu played longer than the Bulls had planned in his rookie season, which included 40 starts.
Williams could use up the minutes after missing most of his second session due to a wrist injury. But third-year players are not often called up to the summer league, and the level of competition may not be high enough to push power.
If any of the players play in Vegas, Bulls fans will have a look at a big part of the future of the franchise.
contract tracker
- free agents: Zach LaVine (Unrestricted), Derrick Jones Jr. (Unrestricted), Tristan Thompson (Unrestricted), Troy Brown Jr. (Restricted), Matt Thomas (Restricted), Tyler Cooke (Restricted, Two-way), Malcolm Hill (Restricted, Two)- Way)
- Contract Options: Tony Bradley (player option)
- under contract: Nikola Vusevic (ending 2023), Kobi White (2023), Javonte Green (2023), Ayo Dosunmu (2023), Demar Derozan (2024), Patrick Williams (2024), Marko Simonovic (2024), Lonzo Ball (2025), Alex Caruso (2025)
- Eligible for extension: Vusevic, White
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