Celtics Championship X-Factor Hits UFA; Should the bulls prepare a bid?

The Chicago Bulls are in desperate need of a versatile and defensive player; Fortunately, the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics are set to lose such a player to unrestricted free agency.

With Chicago expecting Andre Drummond to leave in free agency, the Bulls’ frontcourt is in dire need of reinforcements. Rebounding and defense are current concerns for Chicago, which is why a player like Clint Capela has entered the Bulls’ trade market radar.

Not retaining Patrick Williams, which is also a possibility for Chicago, would only further deplete the Bulls defense.

As such, Boston’s Xavier Tillman Sr. emerges as an enticing free agent target for Chicago.

Tillman, 25, is coming off an NBA title with the Celtics after being traded to Boston by the Memphis Grizzlies in February. He was something of an X-factor for the Celtics during their championship run, providing clutch bench minutes in various situations.

Boston would probably love to keep Tillman, but the Celtics will be financially limited this summer by extensions owed to Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Sam Hauser.

It would be impertinent for Chicago to overpay Tillman, but the Bulls could probably make Tillman a pretty nice offer that would exceed what the Celtics can offer.

Tillman is admittedly undersized for an NBA center, but he more than makes up for that with his incredible ability to pass to wings and guards and moonlight effectively as a perimeter defender.

Tillman’s defensive versatility – not to mention his three-point range – makes him a perfect fit for the Bulls.

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