As the Chicago Bulls continue to flounder and waste the 2022-23 season away, many fans are understandably upset with the team’s lack of participation in the NBA’s last three transaction cycles. But it’s important to remember, the only thing worse than no free agent signings are bad free agent signings.
Historically speaking, the Bulls as a franchise have always been relatively lax in free agency. As frustrating as it might be, Arturas Karnisovas’ approach of prioritizing internal development over acquiring external assistance is right in line with what Bulls’ ownership has wanted in over five decades spent in the league.
In fact, arguably the best free agent signing in franchise history — DeMar DeRozan — is on the team right now. He and Pau Gasol are the only Bulls’ free agent signings to ever go on to become All-NBA players with the Bulls, each of whom signed with Chicago in the last decade.
With such a small track record of success, it should come as no surprise that the Bulls have had far more flops than steals in free agency. Let’s take a look back and revisit 10 of the worst free agent signings in Chicago Bulls’ history.
10. Ron Mercer (2000)
In the years immediately following the Bulls’ big breakup post-1998, Chicago was left scrambling to field anything that looked remotely close to an actual NBA team. After being named to the 1997-98 All-Rookie Team, the Bulls believed picking up a promising player like Ron Mercer could help spin a new angle for the franchise.
They’d bring Mercer aboard on a four-year, $27 million deal. As a former No. 6 overall pick, there was much excitement in the front office at this addition. However, the Bulls would have been wise to pay attention to the fact Mercer had been traded twice in the last calendar year before coming to Chicago because it was certainly a sign of things to come.
In his first season with the Bulls, Mercer enjoyed his best season in the NBA. He averaged 19.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists and made for a dynamic one-two punch alongside teammate Elton Brand. However, Mercer was rather inefficient, and this team would only win an NBA-worst 15 games.
Injuries would ultimately cut his first season short, and when he finally returned just to take a significant step back in year two, the Bulls made the decision to move on after just 101 games. Fortunately, Chicago was able to acquire an even better player in Jalen Rose by trading him away, so Mercer isn’t remembered with quite as sour attitude as some of the others on this list.
9. Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton (2011)
Contract: 3 years, $15 million
Throughout the Chicago Bulls’ window of championship contention that lasted from 2011 to 2015, there was one universal constant you’ll find on these rosters. They were sorely missing an above-average shooting guard that could pull his weight whenever Derrick Rose wasn’t on the court. Signing Richard Hamilton in 2011 was Chicago’s attempt to directly address that flaw.
With money tight, the Bulls’ hands were largely tied as to who they could go out and get. Considering Hamilton was a three-time All-Star and former NBA Champion, he made sense as a potential fit. Rip signed on with a three-year, $15 million deal and was committed to the Bulls for most of their best seasons of this century.
Unfortunately, these were not Rip’s best seasons. In fact, they were the worst he’d ever looked on the court. In two seasons with the Bulls, Hamilton struggled to stay on the court due to constant injuries, playing just 78 total games and averaging 10.5 points and 2.6 assists while shooting horrible splits of 43.8% from the field and 33.7% from beyond the arc.
After those two incredibly disappointing seasons, the Bulls opted to waive Hamilton instead of bringing him back for the third year of his deal. After that, no other team showed interest on the market and Hamilton would retire. I think everyone can respect Rip for his legacy, but when it came to his time in Chicago, I’d rather just forget it.
8. Tomas Satoransky (2019)
Contract: 3 years, $30 million
In accordance with the front office’s mission to remain under the luxury tax, Tomas Satoransky was just one of many projects from the Chicago Bulls front office with the goal of remaining just competitive enough to sell tickets without spending too much money on the roster.
After serving as an acceptable bench piece for three seasons with the Wizards, the Bulls decided they were willing to throw starter’s money and minutes at the Czech talent. Satoransky would garner himself a three-year, $30 million contract to become the temporary starter for Chicago. In two seasons with the team, he averaged just 8.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.
When contrasted next to current Bulls backup point guard Alex Caruso, who makes less money while producing more, it really helps prove the point that paying a bench player this much money was an inadvisable decision. After two years with the team, Tomas would be shipped away to New Orleans, ironically in return for the next player to appear on this list.
The fact that Satoransky’s even on this list speaks volumes of Chicago’s inability to attract many free agents. Sure, his time in Chicago didn’t really work out, but he wasn’t that bad of a player for the Bulls. It just boils down to the simple fact the Bulls haven’t recruited enough players over the years to have many truly terrible signings. After this point, however, I believe the degree of this team’s mistakes takes a dramatic leap upward.
7. Lonzo Ball (2021)
Contract: 4 years, $80 million
If I had to rank all of the players on this list according to their talent and ability at the time they played for the Bulls, Lonzo Ball would have a very strong case to be at the very top. Unfortunately, we’ve only had the chance to witness 35 games of this hypothetical healthy Lonzo since he signed in Chicago, which is why ends up on the ‘worst free agent signings’ list instead.
After being stuck in point guard purgatory for a half-decade following the trade that sent Derrick Rose to New York, it seemed as though Ball was the promised prince that would sweep down and brush all our troubles away. And for those 35 games, it actually… seemed to be fact, not fantasy.
He averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while knocking down a ridiculous 42.3% of his shot attempts from beyond the arc. In those 35 games, Lonzo was by far Chicago’s best shooter, playmaker, and defensive stopper. Without him, it’s easy to see why the Bulls have broken down without one of the NBA’s most elite complementary pieces.
Originally signed to a four-year, $80 million deal, I figured Ball would end up being a massive steal for the Bulls that addressed many of their biggest needs. Instead, injuries have put his career in serious jeopardy and his cap hit to the team now weighs down a Bulls team that seems perpetually just one piece away from being taken seriously.
6. Jabari Parker (2018)
Contract: 2 years, $40 million
For his own sake, Jabari Parker should be fortunate the deal he signed with the Bulls only had one guaranteed season on it, or else he’d likely find himself at the very top. After being selected No. 2 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, injuries would make the Milwaukee Bucks hesitant to re-sign Parker and thus made him available for a team like the Bulls to scoop up.
Considering Jabari’s history as one of the greatest high school players in Illinois history, it only made sense for a Bulls team in the process of rebuilding to consider granting a chance at a comeback to the former Simeon legend. He’d end up accepting a two-year, $40 million deal with the second season tacked on as a team option.
Many fans were excited to see what Parker could bring to the Bulls as he joined fellow intriguing prospects Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. Unfortunately, Parker himself couldn’t have seemed any more disinterested in being back home. Scoring 14.3 points on 54.3% true shooting, Parker was an inefficient black hole and even worse on defense. He even infamously went so far as to say “They don’t pay players to play defense.”
And to a degree, he was right. Because the Bulls ended up deciding in the end that they’d rather not pay Parker the second year of his deal. After just 39 games in Chicago, Jabari would be traded away to Washington for an equably disappointing return, but I’ll ever be able to forget the terrible impression Parker was able to leave in such a short amount of time.
5. Ben Wallace (2006)
Contract: 4 years, $60 million
As the second former Piston to sign with Chicago on this list, it’s clear the Bulls respected Ben Wallace and everything he was helping build in Detroit in the early 2000s. Wallace won four Defensive Player of the Year awards and led the NBA in rebounding several times in the five years leading up to signing with the Bulls, so easy to see why they’d value his talents so highly.
Signing a four-year, $60 million deal, this was arguably the biggest free agent signing in franchise history at the time. The Bulls just never had a player of Wallace’s caliber on the team since MJ and Pippen. Fans were ready for Wallace to come in and make a big impact, and that’s exactly just what he did… at least, at first.
In his first season with the Bulls, Wallace averaged 6.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game en route to qualifying for his sixth (and final) All-Defensive Team. He even helped the Bulls win 49 games and actually win their first playoff series since 1998, until they were bested by his former team in Detroit in the second round.
Unfortunately, Wallace’s offensive production began to drop off a cliff at this point. When you also consider the fact there were reports of friction with Scott Skiles and the up-and-coming young core of Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon, Wallace was the easiest piece to remove from the equation. Wallace would be traded away before even getting halfway through his original contract.
4. Cristiano Felicio (2017)
Contract: 4 years, $32 million
For me personally, the next three players on this list feel pretty interchangeable. I’d entertain any arguments as to why each of them deserves to be ranked higher, but we’ll be starting here, with Cristiano Felicio.
After averaging a whopping 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in his first two seasons in the league, the Bulls decided to reward Felicio with a four-year contract for $32 million. Felicio should still be thanking Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade every day for making him look like an adequate lob threat, because the second they left town, Felicio was exposed for what he really is: a terrible basketball player.
Over the next four seasons, Felicio averaged a somehow even worse 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game despite the additional play time. Each season would be plagued with trade rumors of the Bulls potentially looking for ways to get off of Felicio’s deal, but they never came to fruition. By the end of his time with the team, Felicio was practically Chicago’s second mascot.
Maybe it’s because Felicio had such a dopey yet charming personality that I find it hard to take his poor performance personally. Maybe it’s because the Bulls were never going to realistically win anything of merit during his tenure in Chicago anyways. Either way, I find this contract particularly horrendous, but just a bit more tolerable than the others ahead of it.
3. Eddie Robinson (2001)
Contract: 5 years, $32 million
Following two promising seasons off the bench with the Charlotte Hornets, Jerry Krause figured Eddie Robinson could be a player worth gambling on due to his prototypical combo forward size and strength. Chicago could offer Robinson a larger role than Charlotte, so the hope here was that Robinson would take the opportunity and run.
He did not. Literally and metaphorically. During his time spent with the Bulls, Robinson repeatedly struggled to stay in shape and had developed a track record for provoking arguments with the coaching staff.
You’d think Robinson would be grateful for the opportunity to play a larger role while earning a sizeable $32 million, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He averaged a paltry 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in three seasons while making the Bulls -5 points worse than opposing teams per 100 possessions.
When John Paxson took over the reins, Robinson would be one of his first targets. Although Eddie still had two years left on his deal, the Bulls could no longer allow someone taking up over 10% of their total cap space to be an active detriment to the team, and he was promptly waived. After being cut by the Bulls, no other team dared pick up Robinson and his playing days ended right then and there.
2. Dwyane Wade (2016)
Contract: 2 years, $47 million
For some members of the fan base, even the mere mention of Dwyane Wade‘s name will be met with a sneer. Wade holds a Voldemort-esque presence in Bulls-related discussions in large part due to the work he put in to sabotage the very team he played for, in the very city he grew up. Instead of following in the footsteps of Derrick Rose to assume the mantle as the next Kid From Chicago, he’d soon be dismissed as He Who Must Not Be Named.
Wade originally signed with the Bulls back in the summer of 2016, inking a massive two-year, $47 million contract with Chicago. It was seen as an overpay at the time, and that much has only become more obvious as time has passed.
In fact, the Bulls offered so much money that the Miami Heat were willing to let Wade walk without a fight. For the first time in his career, Wade would step out on the court in a different jersey than his iconic Miami black and red. The 35-year-old veteran would average 18.3 points and 3.8 assists per game with the Bulls, the lowest mark for him in each category since his rookie season.
To make matters worse, Wade repeatedly provoked the young core of the Bulls in practice and antagonized Jimmy Butler to side against his own team. Rajon Rondo — the third member of the ‘Three Alphas’ — would side with Bobby Portis and the Bulls’ youth in what became a highly-publicized feud in the Bulls’ locker room.
When Rondo went down in the playoffs after beating the first-seeded Boston twice, Wade and Butler looked listless and were swept in the next four games. Wade no doubt played a big role in Butler’s impending departure from the team that year and was subsequently bought out after just one season with the team. Although Wade only spent one season in his hometown, he has no doubt been the biggest backfire signing of a high-profile player in Chicago’s history.
1. Carlos Boozer (2010)
Contract: 5 years, $80 million
First and foremost, let me be very clear when I see this. Just because Carlos Boozer was the worst signing in Chicago Bulls history, does not mean in any shape or form that he was the worst player. There’s a very clear difference here, and I’d just like to distinguish the two before the outraged responses in the comment section begin piling up.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s take a trip to the past. The year is 2010. A collection of NBA superstars including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Amar’e Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, and Tracy McGrady are all available on the free agent market. The Chicago Bulls — fresh off winning 41 games in two consecutive seasons — have signed new head coach Tom Thibodeau and have in excess of $30 million to spend in free agency.
Sounds like a recipe for success, right?
Wrong. It was a disaster. Having assembled a core of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and Taj Gibson, this should have been a smash-hit summer that saw the Bulls sign a pair of max contract players to build a legitimate dynasty. Instead of picking up LeBron and Wade, however, Chicago signed Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer.
As a two-time All-Star in Utah, it makes sense why Chicago would be interested in acquiring him. What doesn’t make sense, is that they went ahead and signed Boozer just days before LeBron had decided on his ideal destination. In the end, James opted to join forces with Miami, as they maintained the flexibility to add the two long-time friends to the same roster.
Boozer averaged 15.5 points and 9 rebounds in four seasons with the Bulls, which was solid production but not quite the max-level player they were looking for. He’d never make another All-Star appearance again after joining the Bulls, losing his explosiveness with age. In the end, Chicago would have to use their one-time amnesty clause just to get off of his enormous contract.
Much like the aforementioned Felicio, I do not blame Boozer for taking the money offered to him. I blame the Chicago Bulls for even offering it in the first place. This signing inhibited the Bulls’ ability to improve during their best window to contend with Rose, Noah, and Deng in their prime years, and is ultimately the reason this was the worst signing in Chicago Bulls history.
