NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Chicago Bulls

Bulls fans should be set to trust the process following the Jimmy Butler trade. The trade signals a time of change in Chicago and free agency should provide more moves.

The Bulls traded Jimmy Butler. Whether it was a good deal or not will remain to be seen. Trading their best player in his prime is an obvious signal of a rebuild in Chicago, and this summer will reflect that. They won’t be signing any of the big free agents. That time will come again, but there is work to be done before they get a meeting with win-now free agents.

The talent that will be brought in should be young players who can grow with the franchise. Hitting on the right ones will expedite the rebuilding process. Stopgap veterans will appease United Center fans and Dwyane Wade, but would be counter-intuitive to the process. The Bulls may have to overbid for restricted free agents to get young talent, but that is the price to pay. John Paxson and Gar Forman will have one chance to get this rebuild right and would be smart to attempt to sign the following players this summer:

5. Nikola Mirotic

The Bulls front office will have to make a decision regarding Nikola Mirotic. The 26-year-old forward was supposed to be a young building piece at one point in time, now it looks murky. At 6-foot-10 with ball skills and a clean jump shot, Mirotic was a prized international prospect that seemed to fit in perfectly as a modern power forward. But he really doesn’t look like a foundational piece after three seasons with the Bulls. With seventh overall selection Lauri Markkanen set to play a similar role, logic says they should move on.

Mirotic has had his moments. His shooting has won Chicago numerous games over the last three seasons. He finished second for Rookie of the Year in 2014. He failed to improve on his rookie season, however. Mirotic’s season averages have remained roughly the same during each of his seasons with the Bulls: 20-25 minutes, 10-12 points and 5 rebounds with 40-41 percent shooting from the field. While there have been 35-point games and DNP’s along the way, it has all came out even at the end of each season.

There is a counter-argument for the Bulls bringing Mirotic back. While his production has been inconsistent, so has his role. Mirotic doesn’t bring much to the floor besides scoring and hasn’t done at efficiently as a role player, a spot up shooter. But when he has received the opportunity to be featured due to injury, he has delivered numerous times in three years. Mirotic can create offense and Chicago will be needing that next season. The Bulls should have had plenty of time to figure out if Mirotic is a player worth investing in at this point. The time to make that decision is now.