Getty Josh Richardson handles the basketball during a bout between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets.
After falling short in their second play-in contest, the Chicago Bulls find themselves watching postseason play again this spring after having ended a years-long playoff drought in 2022. Consequently, many among the hoops intelligentsia are calling this offseason the most important one in years for the Windy City crew.
While Lonzo Ball‘s quest to come back from the knee issues that kept him out for all of last season — and a considerable portion of 2021-22 — is front-of-mind for fans, the Bulls clearly have multiple items that need to be checked off if they hope to right the ship in ’23-24.
Bulls VP Arturas Karnisovas has a stated goal of winning now; in order to accomplish that, the team must bolster its perimeter attack (on both sides of the ball) and assemble some combination of supporting players to help maximize the efficiency of the Zach LaVine–DeMar DeRozan core. And it must do so amid a gnarly cap/tax situation.
To that end, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has identified a potential free-agent target who would help chip away in all of the aforementioned areas without breaking the bank. Specifically, New Orleans Pelicans wing Josh Richardson.
Unrestricted Free Agent Josh Richardson Could Return to Form With Bulls
In his feature on ballers-for-hire worth exploring this offseason, Buckley namechecked Richardson alongside a pair of restricted free agents in big man Naz Reid (Minnesota) and young point guard Tre Jones (San Antonio) as possible targets for Karnisovas and Co.
As the analyst sees it, Richardson represents exactly the brand of bargain-bin versatility that Chicago should be zeroing in on.
“The Bulls won’t have a ton of spending money unless they move on from all of their free agents, but that’s fine. Josh Richardson won’t break the budget,” Buckley wrote. “What he could do, though, is simultaneously address needs for more shooting and perimeter defense… He has even played some point guard in his career, so he would add a not-insignificant amount of playmaking to the mix.”
Richardson played well this season for the Spurs and, later, in his first handful of games with NOLA following a midyear move. Down the stretch, though, he became lost in the Pels’ shuffle. From March 14 through the team’s finale, he averaged just 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while posting a woeful offensive rating of 105.7.
That said, he continued to flirt with 40% from the three-point line and play hard-nosed defense. And he has largely remained at or near a 12-3-3 line throughout his career.
As such, it’s not difficult to envision him returning to something in that neighborhood for a Bulls team that is in real need of the 3-and-D skills he provides.
Clippers Star Paul George Endorses Ex-Bull Lauri Markkanent for Most Improved Player Award
Much to the chagrin of Bulls fans, Lauri Markkanen has ascended to new heights in the years since Chicago sent the former No. 7 overall pick away in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. So much so, in fact, that the Utah Jazz star is in the mix for the NBA‘s Most Improved Player trophy for 2022-23.
As LA Clippers star Paul George sees it, Markkanen is the obvious choice for the honor.
“His scoring rose from 15 to 24 or something like that and he changed positions,” George said on his podcast, Podcast P. “He changed to a three now. Like, dude’s a seven-footer. He’s a small forward. I remember when he was in Cleveland, I was joking with him, ‘Damn, you’re a three now?’
“Shout out to him for making that position change to go from power forward to small forward.”