Otto Porter Jr. has been a Bull since Feb. 6, 2019.
That’s when the organization made that jump into the deep end of this rebuild pool, attempting to add a veteran starter to the mix and begin the march back toward relevancy.
Who would have guessed that the car was going to break down miles before they even reached the postseason turn-off?
Porter has gone through an assortment of injuries, with the most serious obviously being the fractured left foot that kept the small forward in the training room for most of this season.
And just like that, of the 93 games on the schedule since Porter came over from the trade with the Washington Wizards, the 26-year-old has had the Bulls uniform on for a mere 29 of them.
Twenty-nine.
More Bulls bad luck or just a bad decision by the front office?
Maybe both, maybe neither.
What is bothersome about the Porter acquisition, however, is the front office admittedly made the deal to first, clean up a previous awful decision in signing Jabari Parker to a free-agent contract, and secondly, knowing they couldn’t attract an impactful free agent forward to become a Bull.
It’s that second reason that continues to keep Bulls fans up at night.
At some point in this rebuild the Bulls know they have to be able to sit down with a legit All-Star-caliber talent and sell him on playing in the shadow of that Michael Jordan statue that sits majestically in the atrium next to the United Center.
Not a Jabari Parker talent, who came into camp for his hometown team doughy and mopey. Not even a Porter talent, who was a major upgrade over Parker, but fragile considering the money he’s direct depositing from the Bulls.
When he has played, Porter has made a difference on both ends of the floor. A $27.2 million difference this season? Not even close. And the vet owns the player option next season at $28.4 million. Guess who is opting back in?
That means Year 4 of the rebuild will have a lame duck at arguably the most important position in the NBA.
No problem. That’s just in time for the 2021 free-agent class of Hall of Fame small forwards, with LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard headlining it, followed by the likes of a Jayson Tatum (restricted).
Surely the Bulls can open up the checkbook and do some top-shelf shopping then.
Right.
Kelly Oubre, anyone?
The Situation: When he does play, Porter is one of the better two-way options on the floor for the Bulls, with a smooth offensive game and an ability to make opposing forwards have to work for their shot.
It was interesting to see that when he did return from the foot injury last month, coach Jim Boylen used him specifically off the bench and spoke like that would be Porter’s role moving into next season. Does that mean the organization feels that often-injured, second-year forward Chandler Hutchison is actually ready to take over that starting job full-time?
That would be disastrous.
If Thaddeus Young still had the legs to play the three then the Bulls would have something, but this is still a position they haven’t figured out since they gave up on Jimmy Butler.
The Resolution: Porter will opt in for next season, and expect him to play his butt off as he then looks for his next deal.
Bold Prediction: Porter is healthy and playing at a high level throughout the first half of the 2020-21 season, and is traded at the deadline for a package that includes the expiring contract of Tim Hardaway Jr. and a future pick. The rebuild continues.
