Rather than put all their eggs in the free-agency basket, the Chicago Bulls broke open their piggy banks .
They matched Zach LaVine $78 million offer sheet by the Sacramento Kings past offseason. Next, they exchanged for Otto Porter Jr. at the 2019 deadline, taking on the $27.3 million owed next year and his $28.5 million player option for 2020-21.
Some might argue about if Porter and LaVine should be a roughly $46 million combination. But it might do the job. Since other franchise columns Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. have multiple years left in their rookie deals, the money mostly balances out. The Bulls should have approximately $20 million to invest this summer.
They already appear to have a foundation around which they can construct. While Carter suffered a thumb injury before Porter came, the latter has had the opportunity to create some chemistry with LaVine and Markkanen. This trio has generated an eye-opening 6.6 internet rating across 288 shared minutes.
Particularly if Chicago adds another top-five choose this summer, it could be building a formidable 25-and-under collection.
Read more: newsncarolina.com