The Chicago Bulls starting lineup going into the 2019-20 season was Tomas Satoransky – Zach LaVine – Otto Porter – Lauri Markkanen – Wendell Carter.
Just one season into the Arturas Karnisovas era, the starting lineup going into this season is projected to be Lonzo Ball – Zach LaVine- DeMar Derozan – Nikola Vucevic, an amazing turnaround in a single offseason.
The new Bulls regime has also added quality depth players throughout free agency and the draft, filling this upcoming season with more hope and expectations than the team has faced in the better part of the last decade.
However, with a few roster spots left to fill out, the Chicago Bulls would greatly benefit from more depth in their frontcourt, which makes their recent interest in veteran forward Paul Millsap a noteworthy storyline to keep track of as the offseason progresses (per The Athletic).
Signing Paul Millsap would be another home run move by the Chicago Bulls front office.
Many would likely remember Millsap from his days in Atlanta where they made the playoffs four straight seasons, including one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals following a 60 win season in 2014. Following his stint in Atlanta, he joined Denver and while his role has shrunk each year, he’s been an important piece in their rotation as they have battled year after year against the top teams in the western conference.
Even though his minutes have dropped every year since 2017, Millsap’s effectiveness has remained consistent. Additionally, his willingness to embrace any role asked of him would give the Chicago Bulls a new layer of flexibility with their lineups. When he did this in Denver following the Aaron Gordon trade, he handled his new role like an absolute professional as he placed his desire to win over his desire to get as many minutes as possible (per Denver Post).
For Chicago, signing Millsap would be tantamount to finding the last piece of the puzzle for their roster. The team has a lot of talent on the wings and in the backcourt but lacks another reliable option in the frontcourt after Nikola Vucevic as it’s yet to be determined how Marko Simonovic will translate to the NBA.
This makes having a player like Millsap, who can consistently give the Bulls ten points, five rebounds, and a couple of defensive plays in 20 to 25 minutes off the bench, an extremely valuable acquisition.
Now, Millsap to the Bulls is not a done deal. Rumors say that the Warriors, Nets, and other contenders are also in on the sweepstakes, but this is what separates the new management from the old regime (per Bleacher Report). In the past, the only free agents the Bulls could acquire were the players that no contenders were after. However, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have turned that narrative on its head as they have finally got the Chicago Bulls acting like a big market NBA team.
The NBA season is still a few months away, but the Chicago Bulls have made the offseason feel like it’s flying by. Signing Paul Millsap would be an extraordinary signing for the Chicago Bulls and would make them one of the deepest teams in the entire NBA.
The new regime has embraced the fact that the Bulls may not have a Kevin Durant or LeBron James, but have countered it by creating a roster chock-full of rising stars, current all-stars, and experienced veterans that have the potential to beat any team in the association. Their recent rumored interest in Paul Millsap only further reinforces that point.
