Bulls focused on adding rim protection around Vučević originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In a post-NBA Draft media session with local reporters, Chicago Bulls general manager Marc Eversley was candid about a need the team intends to address in the upcoming offseason.
"(That is) certainly something that we've discussed as a staff, getting somebody to complement what Vooch (Nikola Vučević) does, particularly rim protection," Eversley said. "Just kind of patrolling that paint and making sure that we have somebody there who can lock it down. It's something that we intend on addressing. Whether that's via free agency or trade it's something that we're pretty focused on."
It's no secret that frontcourt depth is among the Bulls' most glaring needs with free agency now less than a week away. While they had success playing small-ball early in the 2021-22 season, another year with the likes of Tristan Thompson and Derrick Jones Jr. as the primary frontcourt backups would be untenable.
But in a time when rumors big — see: Rudy Gobert — and small have swirled around his team, Eversley reminded the public how the Bulls plan to approach the offseason following their first playoff appearance in five years.
As Artūras Karnišovas said in his end-of-season exit interview: "Hopefully we can keep the core together and work around the margins.”
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The reason that statement was couched with "hopefully" is because the Bulls are not fully in control of the fate of one of their core members: Zach LaVine, who officially enters unrestricted free agency on June 30 (although all signs as of now point to a return).
But as it relates to Vučević, whose name has been in trade rumors as he enters the final season of his contract, it's clear the front office is looking to supplement him rather than replace him.
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As Eversley noted, the Bulls will have trade or free-agent avenues to do so. In the latter department, they project to have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which carries a first-year salary of up to just north of $10 million, at their disposal. In that range, think names akin to Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who the New York Post reported earlier in June has drawn interest from the Bulls.
But when asked if the front office weighs the possibility of a big-splash move, Eversley's sentiment was familiar.
“I think we’re going to continue to take a pragmatic approach to this," Eversley said. "We did take a big leap last year. What we’re committed to doing here is coming in every single day — whether in the front office or on the floor — and doing everything we can do to improve this team on a daily basis.
"I don’t think there’s any one player or any one giant leap that we’re going to encounter overnight that is going to turn this thing. We’re going to come in every single day and do the things we need to do to improve the team and we are committed to that."
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