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It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the Chicago Bulls as the team achieved its goal of continuity. First, the team re-signed All-Star Zach LaVine to a max contract of five years $212 million in early July.
Besides that, the Bulls added a couple of veterans in Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond on inexpensive contracts. Since those additions, things have been quiet for the Bulls as they await the start of training camp but that took a turn on Sunday night when a two-time MVP made some surprising comments on the idea of playing for Chicago in the future.
“I think anybody you ask that question that plays basketball if he said no he would be a liar,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said, “it’s a team that won multiple championships, it’s a team that one of the greatest players if not the greatest player who ever played this game played for, so it’s a no brainer everybody would love to play for Chicago. Down the line, you never know…maybe I’ll play for Chicago but right now I’m committed to Milwaukee.”
Those comments from Giannis are certainly enough to get people’s attention and probably raised an eyebrow or two in the Bulls front office. While he did say he’s committed to Milwaukee it’s fun to think about what the future could hold.
Current Contract
If the Bulls are going to pursue Giannis at some point the team is going to have to wait. He still has four years left on his five-year $228.2 million contract that he signed ahead of last season.
The final year of his contract in 2025-26 is a player option for just under $52 million, so he could become a free agent after three seasons but only time will tell on what decision Giannis will make. Giannis will be 30 years old after the 2024-25 season and will be 31 if he plays out the full contract in Milwaukee so he’ll still be in his prime to start his next contract.
A lot can change in the next three of four seasons so for right now it’s just a wait-and-see scenario for the Bulls. For now, the Bulls will still have to deal with playing in the same division as Giannis.
Timely Concerns
While it’s fun to think about what could be in the future, the Bulls currently have more pressing needs to worry about for the upcoming season. The first is the health of Lonzo Ball’s knee.
Ball missed the rest of last season after going down with an injury in January and has had a tough time rehabbing the injury. While there has been optimism recently from Ball’s camp that he’ll be ready for training camp things are still uncertain right now.
Beyond Ball, the Bulls still have weaknesses on their roster that weren’t addressed this offseason. The team still doesn’t have a rim protector and could use some help with perimeter defense as well.
The Bulls also lack three-point shooting in a league that is very much driven by it now. Training camp is fast approaching and it will be interesting to see how the Bulls try to deal with these issues.
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