Bulls' 2024 Free-Agent Big Board, Top Players to Target
It's tough to tell who the Chicago Bulls might target outside of the organization in 2024 NBA free agency without knowing how they'll handle their internal free agents.
But if they're willing to pony up what it takes to keep DeMar DeRozan—and it sounds like they might be—then it feels safe working under the assumption they'll again aim to maximize their competitiveness.
That makes plug-and-play types the preference for external free agents, so let's spotlight and rank the top three players on Chicago's theoretical big board.
3. Jalen Smith, Indiana Pacers
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The Bulls should plan on probing the big-man market this summer.
They'll have no choice if Andre Drummond exits in free agency, but it goes beyond that. Chicago should be prepared for—and, some might argue, pursuing—the possibility of a Nikola Vučević trade between now and his contract's expiration in 2026. His counting categories might generally impress, but this club has consistently fared better without him throughout his three-plus seasons in the Windy City.
All of the above and more should give the front office reason to consider Jalen Smith, assuming he declines his $5.4 million player option, per Spotrac. Chicago doesn't always get the shooting or the shot-blocking it needs from the center spot, and Smith is one of few reasonably priced players capable of scratching both itches.
For his career, he's been a per-36-minutes supplier of 1.7 threes and 1.5 blocks, per Basketball-Reference, and his outside shot has never looked more promising. This season, he not only splashed a career-high 61 triples (in 61 games), he did so while posting a personal-best 42.4 percent conversion rate.
2. Caleb Martin, Miami Heat
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The forward spots could be the primary focus for this front office. They not only need to decide the free-agency fates of DeMar DeRozan (unrestricted) and Patrick Williams (restricted), they also must explore ways of upgrading the rotations behind them.
Caleb Martin could be a really smart flier to take whenever he makes the easy call to decline his $7.1 million player option.
The 28-year-old effectively aced the two-way energizer role over the past three seasons in South Beach. He guards up and down positions, makes enough threes to keep defenders honest (career 35.7) and uses his revved-at-all-times motor to make myriad hustle plays.
He has also dropped a few hints at perhaps still having some untapped potential, despite being a 28-year-old role player. There aren't a ton of support players who've delivered a big-stage showing like his masterful run through the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, when he helped the eighth-seeded Heat oust the second-seeded Boston Celtics by averaging 19.3 points with a wholly absurd 60.2/48.9/87.5 shooting slash.
1. Buddy Hield, Philadelphia 76ers
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If the Bulls get nothing else done this offseason, they should at least find ways to up their three-point volume. There is a cap on how efficient this offense can be when it holds bottom-five rankings in three-point makes (27th) and attempts (26th), never mind what better spacing might mean for attackers like DeRozan and Coby White.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Chicago throw the entire non-taxpayer's mid-level exception at this perimeter deficiency, and if it does, that might be enough to snag Buddy Hield.
He is an elite outside shooter who routinely wows with volume and efficiency. The 31-year-old is already top-25 all-time in three-point makes (1,924, 22nd), a feat made all the more impressive by the fact he's also a 40 percent perimeter shooter for his career.
Hield is probably hoping for a bigger payout than this, but there aren't a slew of win-now teams with money to spend, and the 76ers might be focused on bigger-fish pursuits.
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