NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Chicago Bulls
1. Marcus Smart
Even in the best of times the Chicago Bulls always seem to be an organization with lots of palace intrigue. There’s always some kind of internal drama brewing, whether it’s between management and the coaching staff or within the locker room itself. Tom Thibodeau bickered with Gar Forman and John Paxson for years. In 2017, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade clashed with Rajon Rondo and the younger players in a feud that played out over Instagram. And before last season Bobby Portis punched Nikola Mirotic during practice. Yikes.
Establishing a unified organizational culture is a vital aspect of rebuilding a franchise from the ground up. The Bulls have a long way to go in that respect. This is the team famously traded the second round pick that became Jordan Bell to the Golden State Warriors for cash considerations. Frugality and internal turmoil have become defining characteristics of this franchise. Generally this kind of reform comes from the top of the organization and trickles downward, but players can definitely have a huge impact in this area as well. Usually superstar caliber players influence the identity, but there are always some exceptions. Marcus Smart is one of the exceptional guys that might be able to have a far-reaching impact on an organization.
Describing Smart without devolving into a torrent of cliches is difficult. But one thing is absolutely clear: he’s consummate competitor, a passionate player with a drive to win that’s undeniable. Marcus is a beloved teammate and he played a huge role in galvanizing that injury-riddled Celtics and making it to the brink of the NBA Finals. After gutting out an ugly victory in Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Al Horford referred to Smart as the soul of the team. He’s simply a difference maker.
On the court, Smart is a mostly known commodity at this point. He might be the very best guard defender in the NBA. Smart can switch across multiple positions, he hounds ball handlers into turnovers and an extremely sturdy frame makes him tough to take advantage of in the post.
Next: Every NBA team's greatest draft pick of all time
Offensively Smart’s game has some glaring weaknesses, the most notable of which is his broken jumper. Smart barfs up some of the worst shot attempts you’ll ever see in an NBA game. He’s shot just a hair over 29 percent from deep throughout his career, an exceedingly poor mark given the fact that he takes four 3-pointers per game. That miserable shooting mucks up offensive spacing, but Smart can often make up for some of his detrimental effects. He competently runs pick and rolls after struggling early in his career, acting as a solid secondary ball handler. Smart also improved finishing at the rim last season, posting a career best mark. That’s a positive sign, as finishing inside is a vital skill that players must possess to get the most out of pick and roll actions.
Smart’s price point is going to be the key here. He’s a limited offensive player, there’s no way around that. So doling out a big paycheck to him would understandably make many teams uneasy. He’s stated before that he expects to get more than annual salary of $13 million on the open market. That might be ambitious considering the cap crunch across the league. If the Bulls don’t have to overpay to get Smart, they should take a chance on him. If his price skews closer to the MLE than the $15 million per year mark, Chicago should pursue him hard.