The Chicago Bulls had one priority going into the offseason, and that was to re-sign their highly coveted restricted free agent Jimmy Butler to a long-term contract. It was crucial for the Bulls to recover their roster from last season, and they spent the summer to make sure the team remained together.

Management did an excellent job of locking Butler up early in the offseason with a five-year, $90 million maximum deal.

There was no question that the Bulls wanted to retain Butler. Chicago knew other teams would jump on the opportunity to offer Butler well-paid deals, so they reached an agreement with the one-time All-Star to keep him on the roster.

Butler was Chicago’s best and most consistent player last season and deserves every penny of his contract. Averaging career highs of 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, Butler earned his first All-Star game appearance and won Player of the Month honors in November. He has molded into one of the best two-way players in the league and has satisfied Chicago’s dire need at the two guard spot.

Another free agent of Chicago’s was Mike Dunleavy Jr. The 13-year veteran was drawing interest from multiple teams, but the Bulls did not allow other teams to poach him away. They quickly agreed to a deal with Dunleavy to keep him as their starting small forward for at least the next two seasons.

Dunleavy does not put out eye-popping numbers on a daily basis, but he is key to Chicago’s offense since he is their best three-point shooter. Dunleavy, 34, averaged 9.4 points on 40.7 percent shooting from deep range last season and typically hit timely shots. For the Bulls, he was another vital component to have back on the team.

Aaron Brooks was the final piece to the puzzle. The Bulls really valued his energy and scoring off the pine and wanted to maintain the same three-guard rotation at the one position. Although inefficient at times, Brooks is still a scoring threat, averaging 11.6 points last year and playing in all 82 games.

The 2015 NBA draft is when the Bulls made a huge splash. They ignored team needs and drafted the best player available in Bobby Portis. Portis was projected to go top 13 in many mock drafts but he landed on the lap of the Bulls at pick number 22. He is a fantastic face up mid-range shooter and has tremendous size, as he demonstrated all that during Las Vegas Summer League.

Portis averaged 14.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks during Summer League action. He will join a crowded frontcourt in Chicago, but many are speculating that the Bulls may trade either Taj Gibson or Joakim Noah to allow Portis to receive a larger role.

As far as adding new faces to the roster through free agency, the Bulls only signed Cristiano Felicio, a 6-foot-10 big man out of Brazil, to a training camp deal. Felicio may not earn many minutes in a loaded frontcourt, but if he makes the roster, he will provide more assurance and depth at the center position.

The Bulls’ main focus this summer was to re-sign their own free agents, most importantly Jimmy Butler. Despite not adding any new additional pieces aside from their draft selection, retaining Butler has made this a successful offseason for them. Besides, Portis is believed to be the steal of the draft. We will see how that pans out.

Off-Season Grade: B- 

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About the author
Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.