Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls added a versatile guard to their rotation on Thursday when they selected Arizona's Dalen Terry with the No. 18 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Dalen Terry

Position: PG/SG

Height: 6'6"

Pro Comparison: Delon Wright

Scouting Report: A 6'6" ball-handler, Terry has become intriguing for his guard size, versatility and impact on winning, even though there are real questions about his scoring and shooting.

Bulls Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Dalen Terry, PG/SG: Rookie scale contract

DeMar DeRozan, PF: $27.3M (2024)

Nikola Vucevic, C: $25M (2023)

Lonzo Ball, PG: $20M (2025)

Alex Caruso, PG: $9.2M (2025)

Patrick Williams, SF: $8M (2024)

Coby White, PG: $6M (2023)

Tony Bradley, C: $1.9M (2023, Player Option)

Javonte Green, SG: $1.7M (2023)

Marko Simonovic, C: $1.4M (2024)

Ayo Dosunmu, SG: $1.2M (2023)

Free Agents

Zach LaVine, SG: UFA

Derrick Jones Jr., SF: UFA

Troy Brown, SF: RFA

Matt Thomas, SG: RFA

Tristan Thompson, C: UFA

Malcolm Hill, G: RFA

Tyler Cook, PF: RFA

Terry was a 2021-22 Pac-12 All-Defense selection who averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was known for his defense, but he connected on 36.4 percent of his triples even though he wasn't a high-volume shooter with just 0.8 made three-pointers per game.

The Bulls' newest guard enjoyed some of his best games in the season's biggest moments. He stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Pac-12 tournament final against UCLA and posted 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists in an NCAA tournament win over Wright State.

He also tallied 17 points and six boards in Arizona's Sweet 16 loss to Houston.

Terry may need to take strides as a consistent outside shooter, but his ability to impact the game in a number of different ways and impress on the defensive side should help him contribute at the NBA level.

If the Chicago Bulls are interested in acquiring Rudy Gobert, they are apparently doing a good job of keeping it a secret.

Per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, rumblings of the Bulls' trade interest in the three-time All-Star have been "overstated" to this point.

There has been speculation about Gobert's future with the Utah Jazz since the team's first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

B/R's Jake Fischer reported last week that the Bulls "remain invested in finding the optimal frontcourt lynchpin" with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

"Chicago continues to explore the trade market for two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, sources said. It has registered interest in Rudy Gobert, but the Bulls do not appear willing to include Patrick Williams alongside Vucevic in a trade package for Gobert," Fischer wrote.

LaVine is expected to re-sign with the Bulls when free agency begins, per Fischer.

There hasn't been any strong indication that the Jazz are eager to move on from Gobert. Fischer said on the June 16 episode of his podcast (h/t NBC Sports' Kurt Helin) that a deal involving the star center has no better than 60/40 odds because if the Jazz "don’t find a package back that they think is worth, I think they’re very happy to keep him."

Utah is still searching for a new head coach after Quin Snyder stepped down on June 5. The Jazz have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons but haven't advanced past the Western Conference semifinals during that span.

Gobert has three guaranteed years and a $46.7 million player option for 2025-26 remaining on his contract. The 29-year-old averaged 15.6 points and 14.7 rebounds per game in 66 starts last season.

According to Johnson, trading for Gobert would "run contrary" to what Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has said about wanting to maintain continuity with their main core.

The Bulls did show tremendous upside during the regular season. They were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference as late as Feb. 25 before injuries started to decimate their roster.

Chicago ultimately fell to the No. 6 seed in the East and lost in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

As the Chicago Bulls look for ways to upgrade their roster after making the playoffs this season, they could build trade offers around Coby White and draft picks.

Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, rival teams think the Bulls "aren't in love" with the options that could be available with the No. 18 pick and could package it with White to move out of that spot.

The Bulls spent aggressively last offseason to upgrade their roster. DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso received a combined $198.9 million in free agency.

Those deals paid off, as the Bulls finished 46-36 and made the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They still have a lot of work to do based on their first-round playoff exit to the Milwaukee Bucks in which they lost the final three games by an average of 23.3 points.

Ball did miss the final three months of the season, including the playoffs, with a knee injury.

Looking ahead to free agency this offseason, the biggest question mark in Chicago is Zach LaVine's status. The two-time All-Star has been open about his desire to explore the market.

B/R's Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday that LaVine is expected to re-sign with the Bulls. He is eligible for a five-year deal worth around $210 million from Chicago. Opposing teams can offer him a four-year deal worth up to $157.4 million.

It's unclear from Givony's report if the Bulls would be trying to move up in the draft or acquire a veteran player who could have a more immediate impact.

DeRozan is signed for two more seasons. Nikola Vucevic has one year remaining on his contract.

Given how much the Bulls have recently invested in trying to get better, it would make sense to add veteran help.

White is entering the final guaranteed season of his rookie contract. The 22-year-old is eligible for a $9.9 million qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season.

Drafted seventh in 2019, White has developed into a solid bench player over the past three seasons. He has averaged 13.7 points per game in 195 appearances and shot a career-high 38.5 percent from three-point range in 2021-22.

A Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $1.008 million at auction house Christie's, according to ESPN's Dan Hajducky.

The card was part of the 20th anniversary rerelease of the 1986-87 Fleer Jordan rookies, which were also signed by the Hall of Famer. There were 23 cards placed into 2006-07 boxes, 14 of which are known and graded.

The one that sold was numbered 21 of 23 and graded 8.5 out of 10 by Beckett Grading Services.

The price of Jordan cards has continued to soar since The Last Dance documentary was released two years ago. The 1986 Fleer cards have especially been valuable, recognized as the prime rookie cards for the superstar.

Two mint condition cards sold for $738,000 each in 2021, with Heritage Auctions director of sports auctions Chris Ivy saying the price jumped more than 10 times from a year earlier, via Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports.

An autograph obviously only adds to the value, with a signed Jordan card recently going for $1.44 million.

The Fleer rerelease combines the appeal of the rookie card with the autograph, making it an extremely sought-after collectable.

Even without a perfect grade—the autograph was also only a 9 out of 10—the latest sale broke the record for the set.

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic reportedly expects to remain with the team despite a series of rumors linking Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert with a potential move to the Windy City.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago provided an update on the Gobert speculation Friday on the Bulls Talk Podcast (via Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation):

I, personally, have not put a lot of stock into these rumors. ... There is a lot of noise out there. It's certainly fair to speculate what the Jazz might do. Before, I personally made a couple of calls on the topic, and I was told that there's not much going on right now. Things can obviously change in this league—always change in this league. I can also tell you, from my understanding, Nikola Vucevic is under the impression he's going to be here.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported Monday the Bulls are a "team with interest" if the Jazz decide move on from Gobert following the departure of head coach Quin Snyder.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer added further details Tuesday, noting league sources indicated a baseline package of Vucevic and Patrick Williams for Gobert was a possibility, though it's unclear whether if Chicago is willing to part with Williams.

The Bulls enjoyed a turnaround season in 2021-22, compiling a 46-36 record to snap a four-year playoff drought. They struggled defensively, however, ranking tied for 23rd in defensive efficiency during the regular season.

So securing an upgrade in the post from Vucevic to Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is an attractive option on paper.

Several variables are in play, though. Most notably, the Jazz have yet to signal they're ready to break up their core duo of Gobert and Donovan Mitchell despite a first-round playoff exit that continued a recent trend of strong regular-season results followed by a postseason dud.

Utah general manager Justin Zanik was noncommittal about the team's offseason plans after Snyder stepped down on Sunday.

"Donovan and Rudy, along with some of our other players, are hugely important to the success of this organization," Zanik told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Bulls would have to decide whether the improvement from Vucevic (No. 117 in FiveThirtyEight's NBA WAR ranking) to Gobert (No. 8) is enough to warrant giving up on Williams, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft.

Williams has yet to emerge as the type of high-end contributor a team expects from a top-five selection, averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 88 games, but he was limited to just 17 appearances in 2021-22 because of a wrist injury.

The 20-year-old Florida State product showed some promise in the limited action this season, shooting 52.9 percent from the field, including 51.7 percent on threes.

Trading Williams at this stage of his career would come with risk, but Chicago will face plenty of competition on the trade market if Gobert becomes available, so it's going to take valuable assets to complete a deal one way or another.

The Chicago Bulls appear to be the New York Knicks' top competition for impending unrestricted free agent center Mitchell Robinson, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

The Post has learned the Bulls are continuing to do their research on Robinson ahead of the July 1 free-agency period. The Bulls could be the main competitors for Robinson if the Knicks don’t lock him up to a contract extension on June 30.

The Bulls want to enhance their interior defense and believe Robinson could be a good fit slotted alongside offensive center Nikola Vucevic. ...

Meanwhile, an NBA source said center-starved Dallas is not expected to be interested in Robinson at his hefty price tag (at least $11M per year) and have set their sights on cheaper free-agent centers.

Robinson, 24, averaged 8.5 points on 76.1 percent shooting to go with 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for the Knicks last season. He's played four NBA campaigns since New York selected him 36th in the 2018 draft.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer also reported a Bulls-Robinson connection and noted the team is interested in Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert.

As Berman noted, the Mavericks are in the market for a center but don't appear willing to pay a potential $11 million-per-year contract for Robinson.

The Knicks could agree to a new deal with him by June 30, thereby preventing him from entering the free-agent market. Berman reported that the Knicks can offer him a four-year, $55 million max extension.

Unsurprisingly, though, Robinson is expected to test the free-agent waters, per SNY's Ian Begley, who also noted that the center and team were "far apart" on earlier extension talks this year:

In the days after the NBA Lottery, multiple people in touch with the Knicks say they were considering offseason scenarios for the center position if Robinson signs elsewhere.

I wouldn’t read too much into this, though. Any competent NBA team plans for all possible outcomes of their own player’s free agency.

Also, it’s worth noting that the Knicks have sent trainers to work with Robinson this offseason, per a league source.

If Robinson leaves, then Nerlens Noel would be the top center on the depth chart. Noel was held to just 25 games this past season for numerous reasons, including left and right knee injuries, the league's health-and-safety protocols and plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

The 28-year-old Noel averaged 3.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game.

The Chicago Bulls want to retain Zach LaVine this offseason, but some teams believe he could leave in free agency.

"How gettable Zach LaVine is remains a matter of debate, although I will say around the league, I do get the sense from teams that do think he's in play," NBA reporter Marc Stein said in a Spotify live chat.

LaVine told reporters after the 2021-22 campaign he will "look at everything" in regards to free agency and he has a "big decision" ahead of him.

The 27-year-old has spent the last five years in Chicago, earning All-Star selections in each of the last two seasons.

LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2021-22, helping the Bulls get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.

It came after he set a career high with 27.4 points per game in 2020-21, seventh in the NBA.

The Bulls would love to keep a player with this type of production, but it might not be in their hands after failing to sign him to an extension last offseason. They can offer more money than any other team, a max of five years and about $200 million.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer recently reported the Portland Trail Blazers are targeting LaVine as a potential star to line up next to Damian Lillard.

There would likely be even more interest around the league if LaVine signaled he didn't want to return to Chicago.

It could make the guard one of the hottest names on the market this offseason.

The Chicago Bulls are "a team with interest in" Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, according to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer.

O'Connor reported the Bulls will look at several centers this offseason, including free agent Mitchell Robinson.

Gobert could generate a lot of interest if the Jazz decide to part with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported the center was a target for the Toronto Raptors, while O'Connor speculated that the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns could be landing spots.

Nikola Vucevic has one more year under contract with the Bulls, although he was up and down during his first full season in Chicago. The center averaged 17.6 points and 11.0 rebounds, but the team was 3.7 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court compared to off it, per Basketball Reference.

Chicago also needs to improve defensively after finishing 23rd in defensive rating last season.

Gobert would be an upgrade on that end of the court after earning first-team All-Defensive honors for the sixth straight year. He averaged 15.6 points, 2.1 blocks and a league-best 14.7 rebounds per game this season.

Despite the success, the Jazz could split up Gobert and Donovan Mitchell after losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Trading for Gobert would be costly, both in assets and in paying for the final four seasons of his five-year, $205 million contract.

Robinson would be a cheaper option who provides similar attributes, although he's less proven. The center averaged 8.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for the New York Knicks in 2021-22 and led the team with 8.5 win shares.

The efficiency on both ends could be what the Bulls need to take the next step toward contention after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst does not believe Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine, who is a free agent this offseason, wants to leave the team.

Windhorst made the remarks on the Hoop Collective podcast (h/t Daniel Greenberg).

LaVine left the Minnesota Timberwolves to join the Bulls as a restricted free agent in 2018 after signing a four-year, $78 million contract.

The 27-year-old averaged 24.4 points on 47.6 percent shooting (38.9 percent from three), 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a 46-36 Bulls team that made the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

LaVine and the Bulls have something going right now in Chicago. The Bulls formed a solid core four by bringing in DeMar DeRozan, who had the best year of his career, point guard Lonzo Ball and big man Nikola Vucevic. Veteran guard Alex Caruso proved to be an invaluable piece as well.

They have some young and promising talent around them, including guard Ayo Dosunmu and forward Patrick Williams.

Unfortunately, injuries led to a disastrous end to the season in which they finished 7-15 in their final 22 games before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks. Caruso missed half the season, and Ball sat 47 games. LaVine was out for 15 as well.

Still, there's plenty to build off in Chicago, and bringing LaVine back puts the Bulls in contention once again. However, there's no guarantee that will happen.

"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine told reporters in late April, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

"We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [agent Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."

LaVine did have positive comments about his time in Chicago, however.

"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," he said. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like I'm automatically coming back or I'm automatically leaving."

LaVine is an eight-year NBA veteran who went 13th overall to Minnesota in the 2014 NBA draft out of UCLA. He's averaged 24.4 points per game during his five seasons in Chicago, including a career-high 27.4 PPG in 2020-21.