According to Arturas Karnisovas, there’s a solid foundation to build around within his own facility.
The Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations made that clear during the March trade deadline when he acquired Nikola Vucevic from the Magic, sacrificing their first-round draft capital from this year’s deep talent pool, then reminded the media of it in his end-of-season address.
“I think when you have a foundation of, let’s say, two All-Stars [in Vucevic and Zach LaVine] in one place, I think it’s easier to add additional things that we need,” Karnisovas said. “So we’re going to discuss the needs of the team, and we’ll attack it during free agency [on Aug. 2].”
One problem: The rest of the Central Division wasn’t waiting around for free agency to add star power.
At least potential star power.
While the Bulls used a second-round pick (38th overall) to select hometown kid, and Illini standout, Ayo Dosunmu that definitely appeased the fan base.
The combo guard and Morgan Park grad averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game last season, and was expected to be a versatile rotation option if he adds some strength.
A solid selection, but not the first-round pedigree that others in the division had.
Detroit, Cleveland and even Indiana took advantage of a 2021 NBA Draft class considered to be one of the most talented since the 2003 class of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
The Pistons made Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham the No. 1 overall selection Thursday.
In adding Cunningham, Detroit feels like it now has a generational point guard with a Luka Doncic-style ability to control the tempo of a game. At 6-8, Cunningham can score around the rim and from outside, but it’s his unselfish playmaking that stood out for scouts. He’s also a versatile defender, able to guard one through four comfortably.
The Rockets took explosive scorer Jalen Green with the second pick, setting the stage for Cleveland to add yet another solid piece to the post-LeBron rebuild. The Cavs took 7-footer Evan Mobley from USC. The Mobley comps to Bosh are there for a reason. He’s an inside-outside threat who excels in the shot-blocking department.
The Cavaliers added veteran Ricky Rubio in a predraft deal and are building a talented stable with Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Jarrett Allen. As soon as they can shed themselves of the Kevin Love contract, it will be interesting to see if they can attract some veteran talent to jump aboard.
Then at No. 13, the Pacers added one of the top perimeter shooters in the draft, grabbing Oregon guard Chris Duarte. While Duarte likely won’t start like a Cunningham or Mobley, he is expected to give the Pacers scoring depth off the bench.
Indiana finished three games better than the Bulls, and that was despite all kinds of health issues surrounding Caris LeVert and Myles Turner.
As far as what could have been for the Bulls, that’s where it got interesting. The Magic took the No. 8 pick it received in return for Vucevic and added versatile forward Franz Wagner. With its own pick at No. 5, the Magic took point guard Jalen Suggs, who would have been the perfect fit in Chicago.
While the Bulls had to live in the what-could-have-beens, the Lakers captured the night, living in what is. Before a name was even muttered in the draft, news broke that the Lakers had acquired Russell Westbrook to join James and Anthony Davis in Hollywood.
