By Nina Falcone
CSNChicago.com
Wednesday was the first day NBA teams had been allowed to contact agents since June 30, the day before the lockout began. The Bulls have been actively seeking out certain free agents that their rosters would benefit from.
Among the list are Jamal Crawford, Jason Richardson, and Caron Butler.
The Chicago Tribune Live team sat down with Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen to discuss possible targets the Bulls have their eye on.
"If they have any hope of getting past Miami, and really the East looks like its just going to come down to Chicago and Miami this year, they're going to have to score," Thomsen said. "What they would get in Jason Richardson would be the ability to not only get threes but also score in transition and be an explosive guy--a poor man's Ray Allen a little bit."
Jamal Crawford is noted for his exceptional offensive abilities, but has been knocked for poor defensive skills. He averaged 14.2 points off Atlanta's bench last season and his high scoring talents have resulted in multiple teams fighting to get him on their roster.
Thomsen described Butler as being "more of a half-court player who would give the Bulls some of the toughness that they like."
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Carlos Boozer's contributions on the court become another topic of discussion going into this shortened season.
"He's been a very up and down player and the inconsistency has always come down to injuries. While he's shown that he gets hurt a lot, he's also shown he bounces back. When he's healthy, he plays at a high level again," Thomsen said.
"If he's healthy this year, then I think the Bulls can expect him to play at a high level. If they're getting the kind of production he used to give as an All Star player, then that's almost going to be like signing a free agent all over again."
Which free agent to do think the Bulls would benefit most from?