There’s no keeping the Chicago Bulls’ future plan under wraps. The front office has made it clear: they aim to continue building a young core while preserving as much salary cap space as possible heading into next offseason.
The Bulls’ two-part plan is coming to fruition. Over the past year, Chicago has moved on from numerous veterans and now has only two players aged 30 or older—both, coincidentally, with just one season left on their contracts.
The Bulls’ extension-eligible list keeps getting longer
Yet Jevon Carter and Nikola Vucevic aren’t the only Bulls with expiring contracts. Joining them are five others: Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, and, as of October 1, Zach Collins.
Dosunmu and White’s extension eligibilities have often been highlighted, with White’s situation drawing league-wide attention. Playing out the final year of the three-year, $36 million deal he signed in 2023, White’s potential extension is limited to 140 percent of that final year’s salary. Thus, White has made it known he’s not re-signing until next offseason.
Dosunmu, meanwhile, is clearly due for a raise. Next season, he’s set to earn just $7.5 million, ranking 186th in annual salary league-wide, which is far below his true value as a 25-year-old, do-it-all guard. Still, he has plenty to prove coming off his first significant injury.
Other than Dosunmu and White, Carter and Vucevic are likely out the door next offseason due to their age. Terry and Phillips, on the other hand, still have plenty to prove, though unlike Dosunmu, it’s less about salary and more about establishing themselves as long-term contributors. Both are talented, but neither has fully shown they’re long-term keepers.
Zach Collins’ extension looms as a tough call for Chicago
That leaves Collins as a unique case. At 27, he isn’t on the wrong side of 30, but he’s not exactly a developmental prospect, having played 378 career games. The 6-foot-11 big man also came to Chicago as part of the salary-dump trade that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings.
Technically, Collins doesn’t fit the Bulls’ rebuilding timeline, and he wasn’t a highly sought-after player, so why even consider re-signing him? Well… in 28 appearances last season, Chicago was 5.0 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, and their defense was twice as effective.
He was a difference-maker for the Bulls, with Chicago’s late-season success coinciding with his impact—much like it did with Kevin Hueter and Tre Jones, the latter of whom the Bulls re-signed to a three-year deal this offseason.
There’s a clear, or rather, multiple clear reasons for Chicago to consider extending Collins this season. Vucevic is on his way out, and 2024 offseason signing Jalen Smith didn’t quite live up to expectations as a floor-spacing, impactful offensive talent in his first year in the Windy City.
On the flip side, preserving salary cap space is crucial. With several quality bigs hitting the open market next offseason, the Bulls might be better off waiting for a stronger option. Still, Collins becoming extension-eligible highlights just how many impending free-agent decisions the team will face over the next year.
