Bulls seen as a threat to land Christian Wood |
Here is some surprising news, and it comes from the Chicago Bulls camp. Despite the Bulls not having a lot of funds and making minimal moves thus far this offseason, the organization is still looking to improve this team one way or another. They retained Nikola Vucevic and Coby White to keep some of their core players together. They added Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, and now they have been granted a disability waiver for Lonzo Ball, which will give this team 11 more million dollars to spend.
Make no mistake; this roster has flaws, but when you don't have a lot of money to spend, you have to make do with what you have. However, given this team needs frontcourt help even with Vucevic coming back, Chicago is expected to make a run at one of the best remaining Free Agents on the market in Christian Wood. The 27-year-old Wood has bounced around the last few years, but came into his own during his time with Houston and Dallas. What was expected to be the Lakers primary target once the offseason picked up again, it now looks like the Bulls are not only threats but could be the favorites to land the big man. Should that happen, Wood is an instant upgrade to their current roster, and it would push a guy like Patrick Williams to the bench, where he is more comfortable as a player. Wood will have his share of suitors, especially when you look at how good he is when he is on. Given that they now have around 15 million dollars and could have more if Ayo Dosunmu doesn't return, the Bulls could use a lot of that money, if not all, to go after a guy like Wood to put him in place for one season. A pursuit of Wood, however, would add another player to the roster that must contribute on a nightly basis. Although he has struggled for a good part of his NBA career, you can't say that about his last two seasons, as he has become a valuable rotation player. Last season with Dallas, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in his 67 appearances. Most of those games came off the bench, but like White and Williams, Wood can give this team starter minutes even if he doesn't start. Wood also shot a rock-solid 37.6 percent from long range on nearly 4.2 attempts per game and is an overall 37.9 percent career 3-point shooter. That is another area of need the Bulls need to address this offseason, and they didn't waste any time addressing that need with the players they have retained or added this offseason. Although Wood gives the Bulls some needed size and shooting, his biggest flaw is the interior defense, which has been an issue for Chicago. As good as Vucevic is offensively, he is a defensive liability making it hard for him to be on the floor late in games. The Bulls do have Andre Drummond as a defensive option, but he struggled to see the court last season, and when he did, he played himself into foul trouble. Ideally, the Bulls would love for Wood to improve his defensive game should they add him to this roster, but you can't deny the offensive intrigue he would bring to this team. Adding a guy like Wood would give the Bulls four players that can give you 15 points per game minimum, with the possibility of having six guys that can do that. Wood is also one of those guys comfortable coming off the bench and has shown the ability to start when given a chance. As teams get back into training camp mode and practices begin to pick up, look for his market to pick up steam, and when that happens, the race will be on to add Wood to your team.
