3 Ways the Chicago Bulls can utilize their disabled player exception

On Thursday, the NBA granted the Chicago Bulls a disabled player exception for injured guard Lonzo Ball. The exception gives the Bulls $10.2 million to either sign or trade for a player making equal to or less than what Ball will make this season.

The decision by the NBA to grant Chicago an injury exception is either a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Ball has already missed more than a season and a half of basketball and is expected to miss all of next season as well. That’s obviously bad.

When last healthy, the Bulls were 28-15 but have gone just 58-63 since then. They are unlikely to find a player as impactful at this point in free agency but having the ability to use up to $10.2 million is certainly better than just having Ball’s dead salary on their books.

Be that as it may, it is unclear what the Bulls plan to do with their newly acquired disabled player exception. There are still some interesting players available, but they may not impact winning as much as Bulls fans might hope. With that in mind, let’s look at potential options for the Bulls.