Mo Bamba reportedly wants to play for the Chicago Bulls, and they should prioritize trying to sign him at the start of free agency.
The Chicago Bulls made it to the playoffs for the first time in five years this past season, but it did not result in a deep run. Rather, they were sent packing in the first round in five games by the Milwaukee Bucks. That happened after spending big money on top free agents such as DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball.
This offseason, the Bulls are linked to keeping Zach LaVine on a supermax contract. What else could the team do to improve their odds of eventually making it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since the team led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman defeated the Utah Jazz in 1998.
Perhaps they should look at a player who did not receive a qualifying offer from their current team. We are talking about Mo Bamba.
Mo Bamba a free agency target for the Bulls
Bamba was the sixth-overall pick by the Orlando Magic back in 2018, one pick ahead of when Chicago was on the clock. Through the first three seasons of his career, Bamba was a bench option for the team. It was this past season with the team where he logged significant minutes as a starter.
Through 69 starts in 71 games, Bamba put up an average of 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.7 minutes played,, while shooting 48.0-percent from the field. His average blocks per game is tied for the seventh-best alongside Jakob Poeltl of the San Antonio Spurs and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times did drop an interesting nugget on Thursday, June 30 that “if it were up to” Bamba, he would play for the Bulls “tonight.” He did point out, however, that the “feeling isn’t mutual at his current asking value.”
The thing is, considering Bamba is a top-six draft pick, he is going to garner interest. He is already linked to teams such as the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Bamba could be a true low-risk, high-reward singing for the Bulls if they are able to agree to terms with him on a deal.