NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls live to confuse us.
One day after they traded Alex Caruso for a 21-year-old former lottery pick, they have been connected to one of the top free agent wings. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope appears to be on the Chicago Bulls’ radar.
“Therefore, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would seem, at present, to be the veteran in line to benefit from the Magic’s cap space. Caldwell-Pope is also believed to have a potential home in Chicago, should the Bulls ultimately lose out on Williams, in addition to Philadelphia viewing the veteran wing as a backup option.”
Just when you think the Bulls have accepted that a rebuild is the best path forward, they break our ankles with a link to another win-now player. Make it make sense!
Would the Chicago Bulls Sign KCP?
First things first, Fischer notes that KCP would only be an option for Chicago if they were to lose out on Patrick Williams. Many already assumed the Bulls would do what they could to keep Williams around, and this Josh Giddey trade made that only feel all the more likely. So, yes, it’s possible this rumor doesn’t even end up mattering.
Nevertheless, it still immediately blurs what felt like a better vision for this offseason. Why would the Bulls have an interest in someone who undoubtedly belongs in a win-now environment? KCP has two rings on his hand from his successful stints with both the Lakers and Nuggets. He’ll command a pretty decent deal this offseason, probably something in the 20+ million range. That isn’t the kind of contract the Bulls should be looking to hand someone in their 30s right now, even if they ended up in a situation where they could (because right now … they can’t).
When I read this rumor, I also couldn’t help but think about the Clint Capela news that hit our timeline earlier this week. Matt Moore of the Action Network reported that Chicago could be interested in the veteran center. That’s now two links to two different veterans – one via free agency and one via the trade market. Why!?
Unfortunately, it screams a front office that still hasn’t fully decided its vision. They seem to be leaning toward at least a soft rebuild of sorts with this Caruso deal, but perhaps they’re still holding out hope that an avenue to remain competitive will present itself.
I guess the silver lining here is that if the Bulls didn’t want to hand Caruso an extension, it is hard to imagine they’ll talk themselves into signing another veteran to a long-term deal this offseason. At least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself for now.
