Does Drafting Bobby Portis Mean the Chicago Bulls Are Trading One of Their Bigs?
The Chicago Bulls already love Bobby Portis, and that means the rest of the organization's bigs are on notice. Should the new prospect continue making strong first impressions, Chicago may have to seriously consider trading one of its big men in a bid to alleviate an emerging log-jam at power forward and center.
New head coach Fred Hoiberg was exposed to Portis while coaching Iowa State last season. Perhaps that is why the organization opted to select the Arkansas product with the No. 22 overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
"We played Arkansas this year, we played them at home in Hilton Coliseum, and Bobby was terrific," Hoiberg told reporters after the draft. "He was 6-for-7 in the first half. I believe he ended up with [19] points, eight or 10 rebounds (it was eight). He was a guy that can hurt you from inside and out."
The enthusiasm surrounding Portis' potential was apparently shared by others in the Bulls' front office.
"As you guys know, when we prepare for the draft, we're going to draft the best player available," general manager Gar Forman explained to media Thursday. "We had him ranked as a late lottery pick going into the night. As we saw him start to slip, we got excited about him."
Chicago clearly didn't make its decision based on roster needs. With Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic manning the interior positions, it's hard to see how Portis makes an immediate impact amid the status quo.
| Player | 2015-16 Contract Status / Salary |
| Derrick Rose | $20,093,064 |
| Joakim Noah | $13,900,000 |
| Taj Gibson | $8,500,000 |
| Pau Gasol | $7,448,760 |
| Nikola Mirotic | $5,543,725 |
| Mike Dunleavy | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Kirk Hinrich | $2,854,940 (Picked up player option.) |
| Doug McDermott | $2,380,440 |
| Jimmy Butler | Restricted Free Agent ($4,433,683 Qualifying Offer) |
| Tony Snell | $1,535,880 |
| E'Twaun Moore | Non-Guaranteed $1,015,421 |
| Nazr Mohammed | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Aaron Brooks | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| Cameron Bairstow | Non-Guaranteed $845,059 |
That begs question as to whether said status quo will remain. Could the organization create space for Portis, dealing one of its incumbent big men in a bid to accelerate the 20-year-old's development?
It's a debate worth having. Rookies aren't entitled to prominent roles, but some are more deserving than others. If Portis can step in right away and contribute, something may have to give.
But does it really make sense to trade one of their tenured bigs? Independently of Portis and his playing time, each of the franchise's inside guys have something unique to offer. Might it be premature to send one packing on behalf of a prospect who's yet to suit up for a professional game?
There are two sides to the discussion, and both arguments make some degree of sense.
To Trade...
There are good reasons for putting Portis in position to immediately succeed. At 6'11", the 246-pounder can occupy either the 4 or 5 spot at the NBA level and boasts the versatility to post up inside or step out for a jumper.
Portis averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 29.9 minutes per contest last season, solid and well-rounded production that could well have prompted a team to select him in the lottery.
"I would say 10 to 20 range is fair," one NBA team executive told Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling prior to the draft.
"He has a high character and motor, and has toughness and works. He may have the KG gene, but he's not as bouncy. He just has to quicken his shot, improve his bounce, and try to improve his passing ability out of the post. But he will play in the league a long time."
So while the average No. 22 pick may take some time to develop, Portis was something of a steal. He could be readier than meets the eye—certainly equipped to be more than a fifth wheel behind Noah, Gasol, Gibson and Mirotic.
By some accounts, Portis may bring some impressive intangibles to the table as well. That's how mentor and former pro Corliss Williamson sees it, per the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson:
"I remember times when he was younger, I could be talking to him after practice in a normal voice and he would break down and cry. Watching him being able to bring those emotions in and channel them the right way, that's something I'm really impressed with as he grew and matured. He was kind of quiet when I first met him. But he had that fiery competitive nature on the court. He was really raw but you could tell with some work and some time and some love, he could become a pretty good player.
"
By now, the work has paid off in a big way. The journey is far from over, but Portis has a passion for the game that shouldn't waste away on the bench. Shaped by a rough childhood, the Little Rock native is the kind of determined youngster that needs opportunities as soon as possible.
"All his life experiences give him toughness," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson told Johnson. "There are times you get knocked down and you have to get back up. He channels those experiences in a positive way."
Even former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau—famous for his initial skepticism of rookie readiness—might have been tempted to play this guy. Hoiberg seems to be even more inclined to do so as he establishes a new system and culture.
But at what cost? At present, Portis' minutes would likely come at the expense of a far more accomplished pro like Gibson. That probably wouldn't go over particularly well in the locker room, perhaps even sparking some consternation directed at Hoiberg himself. No new coach needs that on his plate.
Should a trade be in the offing, Gibson is probably the most likely to go. On paper, he's most similar to Portis, and he's due $8.5 million next season before earning another $8.95 million in 2016-17, the final year of his current contract.
Among the club's bigs, only Noah is scheduled to make more money next season ($13.9 million). In short, there's a logic to dealing Gibson both in terms of reducing redundancy and cutting costs. Portis' rookie contract makes him a significantly more affordable option at this juncture.
| Min | Pts | FG% | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | |
| Noah | 30.6 | 7.2 | .445 | 9.6 | 4.7 | 0.72 | 1.10 |
| Gasol | 34.4 | 18.5 | .494 | 11.8 | 2.7 | 0.32 | 1.88 |
| Gibson | 27.3 | 10.3 | .502 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 0.58 | 1.21 |
| Mirotic | 20.2 | 10.2 | .405 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 0.66 | 0.66 |
Noah and Gasol are too valuable (and experienced) to trade right now. They may not be untouchable, but they are not easily replaceable—even if Portis proves to be particularly well-adjusted at the outset. Noah remains a frenetic, hard-working defender with uncanny playmaking abilities for a center. Gasol is the club's most offensively-gifted interior option, and it's unlikely the Bulls would part ways after acquiring him via free agency last summer.
Meanwhile, Mirotic is still just 24 years old and scheduled to make less than $6 million in each of the next two seasons before becoming a restricted free agent in 2017. Moreover, the 6'10" forward is a spacing specialist thanks to his excellent range. In a league that's increasingly infatuated with stretch 4s, Mirotic is an important asset.
None of that is a knock against Gibson. Though he may become the odd man out before long, he's established himself as one of the league's very best sixth men. Forman and Co. wouldn't have much difficulty finding a taker.
But should they even be looking for one?
...Or Not to Trade
Thinning out Chicago's robust front line may be inevitable, but doing so right this second doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Despite Portis' credentials, he remains a relatively unknown commodity at the pro level. The organization should at minimum evaluate him through training camp before making any firm decisions about the roster's future.
It may well turn out that Portis is a bit more of a project than previously imagined. And there's no harm in having him spend the lion's share of his rookie season watching and learning.
Such a scenario might stunt his development ever so slightly, but there's no reason to believe a more patient approach would result in anything too catastrophic. Even as things currently stand, Portis could probably find a few spot minutes, particularly if Hoiberg opts to deploy Mirotic as a small forward on occasion.
At the very least, Portis could spend his rookie season as a useful insurance policy. Crowded as the rotation may be, there would be ways for him to get his feet wet. If worst comes to worst, he could see some action in the Development League in a bid to stay fresh. That's not the end of the world.
Preemptively trading someone like Gibson would be a mistake for an established roster that's already in the mix of Eastern Conference teams legitimately vying for an NBA Finals appearance. Aside from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago may be the East's most title-ready franchise. And while Portis could be part of that equation, Gibson has proven himself ready to contribute on an everyday basis.
If Gibson's days are numbered, a wait-and-see approach is still in order. The organization could delay a final decision until February's trade deadline, or could ride this season out and reassess the situation at season's end—when Gibson enters the last year of his contract.
Portis may well be Chicago's power forward of the future, and a trade may well be in order—just not now, not yet.
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