NBA Free Agents: 9 Possible Cuts the Chicago Bulls May Look to Sign

The NBA lockout is finally over, which means we can finally start looking forward to the start of the regular season.

With free agency set for December 9th and the season set to start just two weeks later, it will be a fast and furious free-agency period.

The Chicago Bulls don't have to worry about bringing any of their own players back. They have no restricted free agents and only three unrestricted free agents—Kurt Thomas, Rasual Butler and Brian Scalabrine—none of whom are expected to be re-signed.

With the reigning MVP and the Coach of the Year, the team who had the best record in the NBA doesn't have a lot of holes. However, that doesn't mean they can't improve.

The one spot Gar Forman is expected to try and improve is the starting shooting guard position, which was occupied by Keith Bogans last season.

Thanks to the new CBA, there will be an amnesty clause allowing teams to release a player, which will remove his salary from the cap and possible luxury tax. The player will still receive his full contract but will be a free agent.

Unlike the last agreement, this clause can be used at any time before a season under the new CBA. So the team can decide to cut someone in August—or, in this case, early December—but not in January. One condition of this clause is that the player must have been under contract with your team prior to July 1, 2011.

What that means is a team can't make a trade for someone like Carlos Boozer—then release him the following season using the amnesty clause. Only the Bulls have that right.

And before everyone goes crazy about the Bulls needing to use this clause on Boozer—relax. The Bulls are not expected to use this clause on anyone this season. However, next summer when Dwight Howard hits the market, it could be a different story.

One thing that isn't completely clear is how the bid system will work which will allow teams under the cap to have the first crack at signing these amnesty-released players.

Brad Miller

Don't we all want Brad Miller to return to the Bulls for a third stint?

Miller signed with the Rockets last season but was then traded on draft night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, I wonder if he will ever actually get to play next to Kevin Love.

It isn't actually clear if the Wolves will use the amnesty clause because they don't have any truly awful contracts and still need to reach the salary floor. The salary floor is at 85 percent of the salary cap for this upcoming season.

Miller would fit in perfectly with the Bulls as a big who can shoot and replace Kurt Thomas as the third center. The addition of Miller would give Coach Thibodeau a lot of options to use down low.

Corey Maggette

I have a soft spot for Corey Maggette.

We both attended the same high school—I was two years behind him—and I went nuts when he made it to the NBA.

I remember, during his rookie year, how excited I was to play as him in the new NBA video game.

Unlike the T-wolves, the Bobcats have a lot of players on whom they could use the new amnesty clause, so Maggette might not hit the open market.

However, if he did, he could be a great addition to the Bulls. Maggette, 32, does one thing very well and that is get to the line. For his career, he averages seven free throw attempts per game and he has made 82 percent of them.

Maggette, like Shannon Brown and Anthony Parker, grew up in the Chicagoland area and would probably like nothing more than to come home.

Andres Nocioni

I can still hear the United Center chanting his name.

Nocioni! Nocioni!

Andres Nocioni was a fan favorite here in Chicago and I know I would be very happy to see him return. Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich were my favorite players on the Bulls team that made the playoffs a few years back.

Nocioni is the type of player that Tom Thibodeau would like. He hustles, plays hard and, best yet, he can shoot 37 percent from beyond the arc.

His numbers have fallen off the past two seasons due to a lack of playing time, but he would be a great asset off the bench for the Bulls.

Mike Miller

You can never have too much shooting and Mike Miller can shoot.

Miller is a 40 percent career three-point shooter and, along with Korver, would give the Bulls two snipers from outside.

The Heat are considering releasing Miller so they make make a run at Baron Davis or another point guard to upgrade that spot.

Miller would be just another dangerous weapon who could join the bench mob.

Marcus Camby

Just like shooting, you can never have enough bigs who like to block shots.

With the injury history of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, adding Marcus Camby would be a very smart choice.

Camby, at 37, can still block shots and rebound and maybe could even teach a thing or two to Noah and Omer Asik. I would take Camby over both Kurt Thomas and Brad Miller if given the choice.

What is unclear is if the Blazers will waive him—or a certain other player who might be on this list.

Brandon Roy

If the Trailblazers release Brandon Roy, there will be a long list of teams willing to take the risk and pick him up.

I wrote a piece during the lockout about how amazing it could be to add Roy to the Bulls' mix.

You can read the piece here.

There is a chance that the Blazers keep Roy for the season to see if he is healthy. If he proves not to be, they could release him in the summer.

Rip Hamilton & Ben Gordon

You know what is funny? These two have been teammates now for two seasons and I can't find a picture of them together.

Some say that Charlie Villanueva might be the guy Joe Dumars decides to cut, but I think it has to be Hamilton or Gordon.

With Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight possibly set to be the backcourt of the future, is there really room for two shooting guards like these on the bench?

Hamilton could bring playoff and championship experience to the young Bulls, while Gordon could return to a role he is very familiar with. Gordon is the better shooter, but Hamilton is taller and a better defender.

If either one of these two get cut, I would suspect Gar Foreman to be very interested.

Side note: Wouldn't it be cool if Gordon, Nocioni and Brad Miller all returned to Chicago? Maybe the Hawks will release Hinrich and they can just bring everyone back.

Vince Carter

Vince Carter is a little different then everyone else on this list. He might not be an amnesty cut.

Carter has a very friendly contract and he's entering its final year. Because of his contract, there is no reason to use the amnesty clause on him.

The Suns have the choice of keeping Carter and paying him $18 million or buying him out for $4 million. Many expect them to do the latter unless they need to reach the salary floor.

Carter could be a nice addition to the Bulls, as winning a championship is the most important thing to him at this point in his career. He will turn 35 in January and probably doesn't have many good years left.

He has said that he would like to play two more years, so why not in Chicago?