Projecting Landing Spots for Bulls' Top Free Agents

The upcoming 2024 NBA offseason looms as the next possible pivot point for the Chicago Bulls.

They could use it as a time to reshape their roster around budding star Coby White. Then again, they may also lean into continuity as they so often have of late in hopes that this roster will finally become whatever it is the front office thinks it could be.

To dig into what changes may (or may not) await the franchise, we'll spotlight three of their upcoming free agents and predict whether they'll be back with the Bulls.

DeMar DeRozan (Unrestricted)

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 09: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles up the court against the New York Knicks during the second half at the United Center on April 09, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

If you believe, as many do, that the Bulls need to embrace a rebuild, then you're probably picturing DeMar DeRozan playing elsewhere next season. He'll turn 35 before the next campaign gets going, so he has very little to offer a future-focused franchise.

But there's just very little evidence that Chicago is focused on anything but the present. It keeps committing to this core—despite it having produced mediocre results—and feels likely to continue that pattern with DeRozan. B/R's Eric Pincus mentioned DeRozan when discussing how "the expected theme across the league is players re-signing."

If the Bulls have any designs on competing next season, that will be an easier task with DeRozan. His game is aging like good wine, as there have been few hiccups in his numbers since he joined the franchise in 2021. He has basically been a nightly source of 25 points, five assists and five rebounds ever since, while routinely ranking as one of the game's best crunch-time scorers.

So, even if it feels like his game would be better utilized on a team with more realistic championship hopes, Chicago clearly values him, and he sounds content where he's at.

Prediction: DeRozan re-signs with the Bulls.

Andre Drummond (Unrestricted)

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA - APRIL 07: Andre Drummond #3 of the Chicago Bulls reacts against the Orlando Magic during the third quarter at Kia Center on April 07, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

You could argue Andre Drummond has been the Bulls' best big man this season.

Now, that's not super flattering for starter Nikola Vučević, but it says more about Drummond, whose per-minute production seems like it was plucked from the video-game realm. Since joining the team in 2022, Drummond's per-36-minutes averages include 18.9 rebounds, 17.4 points and 3.2 combined steals and blocks, per Basketball-Reference.

Teams shouldn't take those numbers at face value, since there are reasons—namely, limitations away from the basket at both ends—Drummond averages fewer than 18 minutes per night. Teams shouldn't outright dismiss them, either, as they highlight how incredibly active he is once he steps inside the lines. His presence has made a positive impact, too, as his plus-4.0 net differential is the Bulls' best mark among their 10 players to log 700-plus minutes, per NBA.com.

He has done enough to get noticed in a way that will make it tricky for Chicago to bring him back. If he is willing to look elsewhere—and it sure sounds like he is—he has a good chance of finding more minutes, money or both than figure to be available to him with the Bulls.

Prediction: Drummond signs with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Patrick Williams (Restricted)

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 20: Patrick Williams #44 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 20, 2024 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

It hardly feels controversial to suggest Patrick Williams is pretty clearly not the player Chicago hoped he'd become when drafting him fourth overall in 2020.

Separate him from those lofty expectations, though, and you're looking at a rock-solid 22-year-old forward. When he's healthy—which he often hasn't been two of the past three seasons—he's a knockdown shooter (career 41 percent from three) and a valuable, versatile defender.

That archetype is valuable, and Williams has shown flashes of perhaps still growing into more. When he is aggressive, his athleticism really pops, and he'll drop hints of having more in his creation and passing bags than he's shown.

Whether he stays in Chicago or not could hinge on whether he gets paid for the player he is now or what someone thinks he can still become. It wouldn't at all be shocking to see a non-destination franchise with money to spend (say, the Oklahoma City Thunder) give Williams an offer the Bulls don't want to match, but his injury history might prevent him from commanding the kind of money Chicago would be unwilling to pay.

Prediction: Williams signs an offer sheet elsewhere, and the Bulls match it.