Bulls Look To Steal Free Agent Mitchell Robinson Away From New York

Fans always look forward to the offseason and hope for their team to improve. With the NBA Draft this Thursday and free agency beginning July 1st, fans are excited to see what their team will do. One interesting rumor is the Chicago Bulls' interest in New York Knicks free agent center Mitchell Robinson.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Chicago Bulls have significant interest.

The Bulls could be the main competitors for Robinson if the Knicks don’t lock him up to a contract extension on June 30. The Bulls want to enhance their interior defense and believe Robinson could be a good fit slotted alongside offense-minded center Nikola Vucevic.

Let's look at Robinson's career thus far and his potential fit on the Bulls roster.

Robinson Is Just Getting Started

The 24-year-old has career averages of 8.4 PPG and 7.5 RPG to go along with two blocks per game so far in his four-year career and has many positives that go along with his game. Robinson is a traditional old-school center that can provide outstanding rim protection at a legit seven feet tall. With Robinson's athletic ability, he is an alley-oop waiting to happen, which could be pretty fun with Lonzo Ball throwing them up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZliEM8fhJnQ Robinson also shot an incredible 76.1 % from the floor this past season. One might remember his game against the Bulls this past March 28th, where he had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. At just 24 years of age, with the right coaching, Robinson should continue to develop as a player.

The Potential Red Flags

The Bulls will not be asking Mitchell Robinson to stretch the floor, and you will never be screaming at your television yelling "Shoot It!" when he has the ball in his hands outside of five feet from the hoop. He has never taken a three-point shot in his career for good reason. A big issue for the Bulls this past season was the injury bug. That worry will not stop with Robinson, who has never played more than 66 games in a regular season. Robinson is also not a floor runner and fits more into a half-court set offense. Off the court, Robinson is on his sixth, yes sixth agent in his short career, which usually is not a good thing.

How Does He Fit the Bulls?

The Bulls severely lacked an inside presence last year in the middle. There isn't one currently on the roster. Patrick Williams is young and raw, and Nikola Vucevic is strictly an offensive player. An exciting piece of Berman's article is that the Bulls want to pair Robinson with Vucevic, not as his replacement. If the Bulls did acquire Robinson to go along with Vucevic, what does that mean for young forward Patrick Williams? Also, could Robinson and Vucevic, neither fleet-footed, really be on the court together? If Vucevic and P-Will are still around, will Robinson get the minutes he wants? Finally, out of Thibs shadow in New York, one would think that Robinson will want significant minutes with his new team. I do not see the Chicago Bulls acquiring Mitchell Robinson unless Nikola Vucevic is not on this team next year.  These Robinson to Chicago rumors follow rumblings about Rudy Gobert. Should be a fun offseason.