CHICAGO \u2014 As the Chicago Bulls approach the fall with an open roster spot, they\u2019ve been linked to LA Clippers restricted free agent guard Bennedict Mathurin. The Bulls\u2019 reported interest in Mathurin, though, has been overstated, according to a league source who was granted anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations.<\/p>\n
Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged 17.6 points per game in 54 games with the Indiana Pacers and the Clippers last season. LA can match any contract offer he receives.<\/p>\n
The Bulls recognize how early they sit in this rebuild, and the desire for talent at any position will trump stylistic need for a roster still discovering its long-term identity. Mathurin, who turned 24 in June, remains a talented young scorer who could be worth a flyer.<\/p>\n
But Chicago values two things at this stage: roster flexibility and acquiring future assets. Mathurin made roughly $9.2 million this past season, and his next contract is widely expected to exceed that figure in annual value.<\/p>\n
To create that kind of room, Chicago would likely need to commit to a sign-and-trade. Chicago has exhausted the approximately $54 million in cap space it possessed entering the summer, so it must either use its roughly $9.4 million room exception or execute a sign-and-trade. For a sign-and-trade to be completed, the contract length needs to be at least three years, with the first year guaranteed.<\/p>\n
While it remains possible the Bulls use that room on Mathurin or someone else to fill their final roster spot, they remain fixated on maintaining cap and roster flexibility. Given the Bulls\u2019 priorities, they are reluctant to enter into any long-term commitments. General manager Bryson Graham has signaled a preference for short-term deals with limited guarantees, having inked guard Norman Powell and center Zach Collins to two-year contracts with a team option in Year 2.<\/p>\n
Why the Bulls signed Norman Powell<\/p>\n
Joel Lorenzi and Jeshua Kidd<\/p>\n
Many of the hypothetical sign-and-trade deals for Mathurin or other free agents require the Bulls to attach draft compensation \u2014 likely a future second-round pick or two \u2014 which also works against the Bulls\u2019 interests.<\/p>\n
The Bulls offer some appeal for Mathurin. Chicago is settling into a new regime, with a new coach and a roster looking for long-term building blocks. Even if the Bulls are eager to feature young forwards Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis next season, it\u2019s unclear how shots will be divvied. The roster still lacks scoring punch, most notably off the bench.<\/p>\n
However, last year\u2019s team featured a nauseating number of guards, so these Bulls boast a crowded frontcourt and aren\u2019t in dire need of Mathurin\u2019s skill set. They are missing many things \u2014 shooting and defense among them \u2014 but have less need for a high-volume scorer who\u2019s best when driving and initiating contact, but isn\u2019t a connective passer, efficient 3-point shooter or particularly notable defender at this stage of his career.<\/p>\n
A swing at Mathurin, though unlikely, may be palatable to the Bulls in a team-friendly scenario where his contract could be structured in a short-term, cost-efficient way. Even then, though, the Bulls aren\u2019t married to using the room exception for a rotation player and may prefer to keep it as a trade mechanism to absorb other players\u2019 contracts and draft picks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 As the Chicago Bulls approach the fall with an open roster spot, they\u2019ve been linked to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":837400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,2066,590,85],"class_list":["post-837399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/837400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}