This season during the trade deadline, the Bulls didn’t make any trades so getting Thompson from the buyout market was a huge move. The Bulls released forward Alfonzo Mckinnie to make the Thompson signing. 

What does Tristan Thompson bring to the Bulls? 

Thompson brings rebounding, defense, size, toughness and playoff experience to the Bulls. Thompson isn’t the same player he was in Cleveland but he still plays hard and always plays with toughness and an aggressive big has been one of the Bulls’ biggest needs. According to Cleaning the Glass, Thompson’s defensive rebounding rate ranks in the 73rd percentile with his offensive rebounding rate in the 96th percentile.

While Vucevic isn’t on the floor, Thompson will give the Bulls rebounding, size and defense which is very much needed. Another thing Thompson brings to the Bulls is his playoff experience. The Bulls haven’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season, and many players on the roster have no playoff experience. Meanwhile, Thompson has played in 83 playoff games in his career including multiple games in the NBA Finals. Now that the signing is official, Alex Caruso and Tristan Thompson will be the only players on the Bulls roster who have won championships.

It’s always good to have players on your team that have won a championship and adding Thompson means the Bulls will have 2 of those players. Thompson is a good backup center to have and instantly improves the Bulls bench. This was a great signing by the Bulls, Thompson checks all the boxes you want in a backup center, and he makes your team better. 

The Bulls’ record is 38-21 which is tied for first place in the East during the All-Star Break; with the addition of Thompson and the Bulls getting key players back from injuries the Bulls are in a good position to have a huge second half of the season and make a run to win a championship. 

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With the Bulls bench being as great as it has been, where do you see Coby fitting into the lineup when he’s healthy? (@DieHardSosa/Twitter)

Wrigley – I think Coby still has a key role coming off the bench once he’s healthy. As great as the bench has been defensively, they haven’t been very good on the offensive end. That’s where Coby fits in. Last season, he averaged 15 PPG while making 36% of his threes. Without the responsibilities of being a starting point guard, he’ll be able to focus almost solely on scoring, which should be beneficial. He’ll provide the second-unit scoring punch the Bulls need.

 Davi – I think Coby White will be the player that provides scoring in the second unit. When Demar is in with the second unit Coby can take some heat off him. Ayo, Caruso and Troy bring a lot of energy and hustle but they aren’t high volume scorers like Coby can be. With Lonzo and Caruso being the PGs, the Coby White at PG experiment is likely over, so he can now focus on just getting the ball in the basket instead of trying to facilitate the offense. He might also be able to help out in crunch time if the Bulls need a ball handler. 

Riley – From watching the Bulls first 4 games this season, we can tell the bench needs one thing: scoring. Coby White brings scoring to this second unit. We’ve seen many times where Demar DeRozan will have to play in the second unit, just because they need some offense. Add Coby White to the mix, and you have a nice one two punch in that unit. 

Ricky –  When Coby returns from his injury I believe he’ll be a really important part of this team, mainly for his scoring abilities within a second unit that has struggled to score the ball. He also will help Demar out tremendously with his ability to catch and shoot the ball, a type of player that Demar needs next to him to succeed. I also think without the responsibilities of being a starting point guard he will improve greatly because he’ll only need to focus on his scoring.

I know it’s way early but at some point AK will have to add some size to the front court – who might be some realistic trade deadline candidates? (@AntonioBelisle/Twitter)

Wrigley – When looking for trade candidates for the Bulls, I looked at some of the teams I expect to be toward the bottom of the NBA when the trade deadline comes around. Three teams that come to mind are the Raptors, Magic, and Thunder. Toronto could move Khem Birch, who I wanted the Bulls to sign this offseason, if they continue to struggle without Kyle Lowry (traded to the Heat) and Pascal Siakam (shoulder injury, expected to return around Thanksgiving). Barring some miracle, Orlando will be a seller at the deadline, and former Bull Robin Lopez could become available. A reunion with the veteran center and Benny the Bull enthusiast could be an ideal scenario for Chicago. Finally, the Thunder are likely to move Derrick Favors before the deadline, whether that’s via trade or a buyout. Though the Bulls probably can’t afford him at his current salary (he’s making almost $10M this year and has a player option next year), they could sign him for a much lower price if he’s bought out.

Davi – A player I see the Bulls most likely going for, if anyone, is Thaddeus Young. Young was apart of the package to the Spurs for Demar Derozan and with him being a fan favorite, it was hard to see him go. The first few games of this season Young hasn’t seen the floor much and it’s very surprising given that he averaged 12 points a game last year. The reason he is not playing is unknown, but the Spurs may be looking to trade him and we could be a good candidate, making him have a reunion in Chicago. Another player that could be acquired is Brandon Clarke from the Memphis Grizzlies. Clarke has been a solid player so far in his young career, but last year he didn’t get many minutes behind a stacked frontcourt of Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Kyle Anderson and Xavier Tillman. Now with the recent acquisitions of Steven Adams and Ziaire Williams they may be looking to move him. Although, recently he has been getting more minutes so that may not be the case anymore.

Riley – With as little of assets that the Bulls currently have, it is definitely possible they are still in a position to make a trade yet this season. If we’re talking realistic acquisitions, the first person who comes to mind is Marvin Bagley III. The former 2nd overall pick is in the need of a fresh start. He has fallen out of Sacramentos rotation averaging 2 ppg, and 4 rebounds(at the time of writing this). Bagley still has a ton of upside, especially off the bench for this team. If AK can give up a second round pick on a risky player like Bagley, the Bulls could definitely benefit.

Another player who would be a great fit for the Bulls is Thaddeus Young. Thadgic Johnson was moved to the Spurs this offseason as apart of the DeMar DeRozan deal. Thad was a top player on the Bulls last season, and it was sad to see him go. He brought energy and hustle to a team that was definitely lacking it last year. Its likely the Spurs would like to move him for more assets so could a reunion be in store? 

Ricky –  I think who the candidates are will be changing over the course of the year, based on both where the Bulls are in the rankings and where the rest of the league appears to be buying/selling wise. I think if the Bulls exceed expectations and are looking to make a deep playoff run a player like Jakob Poeltl would be someone worth giving up assets for. He’s an elite defensive big which is exactly what the Bulls would need off the bench. I’m not sure exactly how realistic the Spurs letting him go would be, unless they massively underperformed. I also could see Chicago not wanting to give up any more assets than they already have, and go with free agent big Ed Davis. Last time he played it was less than expected, but he’s not far removed from his days as Rudy Gobert’s backup who was able to make a positive impact even though he is undersized for the center position.

Why isn’t Billy moving P. Will to the bench so he can get some looks on offense and up his usage rate? We have plenty of guys who fit as a 5th option on a starting unit. (@Cheeseinmytummy/Twitter)

Wrigley – With Patrick Williams somewhat struggling out of the gate and the emergence of Javonte Green, this has been talked about a lot. I think the main thing that’s keeping The Paw in the starting lineup right now, besides his draft pedigree, is his defense, which continues to not be talked about enough. Additionally, he’s a very versatile, team-first player, which is a great thing to have in a starting lineup that has three, arguably four All-Star caliber players. Part of his struggles may stem from the injuries he’s been dealing with — Williams suffered a severe ankle sprain over the offseason and strained his shoulder on opening night. As he recovers from these injuries, specifically the shoulder, look for P. Will to get back on track.

Davi – I think this early in the season Billy Donovan is trying out lineups to help the development of Patrick Williams and improve the defense. Patrick is one of the best defenders on the team so having him in the starting lineup is key in the frontcourt especially with Vucevic and Derozan lacking a little bit. Also, benching Williams now may not be good for his development. It’s good for him to get lots of experience playing with all star caliber players.

Riley – I believe that Pat is in the starting lineup to help him further develop. Playing along playmakers like Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan can definitely help him out as a player. The starting lineup is in need of defense and Pat is the second best defender out of the starters. Taking him out of the lineup may not only mess with his development, but mess with the defense of the first unit. The second unit is stacked with defense minded players, and they don’t need another one in Patrick. Patrick Williams has star potential and Billy Donovan realizes it. Benching him wouldn’t necessarily be the right move. 

Ricky – I think that one of the biggest reasons to keep Pat in the starting lineup is so he can learn how to play with these guys. AK has made it obvious that his plan for the future, (at least the next 4 years) is to try and win with this current group of players. The only possibility that happens is the emergence of Pat as a star player, and Billy likely wants him to learn how to be a star while playing with the guys he’s currently playing with. I think most of his struggles this year root from his shoulder injury which is affecting him greatly. I also think these struggles are coming from a place of learning what his offensive role on this team is, and we’ve seen the same struggles from Lavine and Vucevic. The Javonte starting crowd has a good point about the present, but in my opinion it’s better to let Pat struggle now than in the future.

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