While Bulls guard Lonzo Ball recovers from a recent left knee cartilage transplant surgery, the Chicago Bulls applied for the Disabled Player Exception on July 2nd. Last Friday, the NBA approved the Bulls’ request for $10.2 million, providing them additional cap space to supplement their roster. Here’s what it means for the Bulls’ imminent future.

Lonzo Ball hasn’t been able to suit up for the Bulls since suffering a small meniscus tear in the left knee on January 20th of 2022. He was expected to return at the end of the 2021-2022 season for the Bulls’ playoff push but was ruled out for the remainder of the season on April 6th of 2022. Going into the 2022-2023 campaign, Ball underwent an arthroscopic debridement on the same left knee on September 28th, 2022, hoping to return to the court later in the season. The clip below from September 27th, 2022 shows Ball discussing the status of his rehab process and how surgery was the only option to go forward.

But discomfort in the left knee persisted as he attempted to rehabilitate for the season and was again shut down for the rest of the year. Bulls fans got another blow of bad news regarding Ball's health status this past month, as Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas said that the organization had no expectation for him to return to the floor for the 2023-2024 season and treated this offseason as if he would not be playing next year. Their offseason moves reflected that, as they resigned guard Coby White to a three-year, $33 million contract and signed free agent guard Jevon Carter to a three-year, $20 million contract.

Although Bulls fans would love to see Lonzo Ball return to the court again, the recent news about the Disabled Player Exception is a glimmer of light for a rather gloomy offseason. The Disabled Player Exception applies to players with one year remaining on their contract or can be used to sign a free agent to a one-year deal. The exception also officially sidelines Ball for the entirety of the 2023-2024 season, meaning that he would have to sit out, even if he miraculously makes significant strides in his recovery to be able to play this upcoming season. Now that the Bulls have signed three guards this offseason to add depth to their backcourt, they have an additional $10.2 million to address the remaining gaps in their roster. Yesterday, the Bulls resigned young combo-guard Ayo Dosunmo to a three-year, $21 million contract after a brief stalemate in contract negotiations. Dosunmo’s contract excludes any funds from the $10.2 million allocated from the Disabled Player Exception since it is a multi-year deal. There is a glaring lack of wing depth when looking at the current state of the Bulls’ roster, and can use the money granted by the Disabled Player Exception to add productive wing players. Below I highlight three players who are currently free agents or have one year remaining on their contracts that the Bulls can acquire now to address the lack of wing depth.

Kelly Oubre Jr. (Last team: Charlotte Hornets, unrestricted free agent)

Kelly Oubre Jr. is a starting-caliber wing that may be the perfect scoring threat to mix into the Bull’s predominantly defensive-minded backcourt. He’s coming off his best statistical year yet and could even contend for a starting role for Chicago. Last year with Charlotte, Oubre averaged 20.3 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 1.4 steals per contest. These numbers point to some promising two-way potential the nine-year NBA veteran can bring to a Bulls team in need of scoring from the wing position outside DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine. They can bring him in on a one-year deal worth the entire $10.2 million Disabled Player Exception and can even offer him more if that’s what it takes to get him in a Bulls uniform. It’s head-scratching why a player of his caliber hasn’t been signed yet and should be the number-one target for the Bulls.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Last team: Charlotte Hornets, unrestricted free agent)

Svi Mykhailiuk is an interesting target for the Chicago Bulls, as he is one of the best-remaining perimeter shooters left in free agency. In splitting time between the Knicks and the Hornets last year, Mykhailiuk was lights out from deep, shooting a staggering 42.4 percent from three. His tenure in Charlotte was the strongest statistical performance of his career, as he added 10.6 PPG and just under three assists per contest in 22.5 minutes per game with Charlotte. The Bulls were 13th in the league in three-point shooting percentage last season, so adding a deadeye perimeter shooter in Mykhailiuk could push them into the top ten in that category. He would be an easy veteran-minimum contract for the Bulls to add instant off-the-bench scoring in the backcourt.

Will Barton (Last team: Toronto Raptors, unrestricted free agent)

Despite a lackluster 2022-2023 season, Will Barton could be a cheap, valuable pickup for the Chicago Bulls that may still have some production left in the tank. At 32 years old, he is an NBA journeyman that can be another veteran mentor alongside DeRozan and Lavine for the young wings in Chicago. Despite posting an abysmal 6.8 PPG last year, Barton shot a decent 36.7 percent from three last year. Barton is still only one season removed from averaging 14.7 PPG in his final season with Denver in the 2021-2022 campaign while also averaging just under five boards and four assists per contest. He is a great candidate for the Bulls to add on a veteran’s minimum deal and could easily have a bounce-back year in the 2023-2024 season.