Sports
9 potential Bulls' targets in NBA free agency – NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
When NBA free agency begins Friday evening, the Chicago Bulls will have the opportunity to upgrade their shooting.
Local product—and onetime Bull—Max Strus is widely expected to now command upwards of the non-taxpayer mid-level salary-cap exception after his strong season for the Miami Heat. Donte DiVincenzo also could command enough interest to drive his price tag past the midlevel, although the Bulls are expected to show interest. Other realistic targets remain.
Here are nine intriguing players to monitor as the Bulls seek to improve their perimeter shooting. Some of these candidates would be redundant if the Bulls re-sign all of Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Beverley, which is a possibility.
Jevon Carter
The Proviso East product declined his player option, although a return to the Milwaukee Bucks isn’t out of the question. He’s a career 39.7 percent 3-point shooter who connected at 42.1 percent while attempting a career-high 4.2 attempts over 81 games last season. Making his services even more attractive is the fact he’s a tough-minded guard who is adept defensively and can initiate some offense.
Torrey Craig
Though he isn’t a knockdown shooter, he has shot 34.7 percent from 3-point range and is coming off a career-best 39.5 percent over 79 games with the Phoenix Suns. He’s a rugged defender who also has developed a reputation as a great teammate, which is why the Suns will be in the mix to re-sign him. Craig started a career-high 60 games last season but has come off the bench more frequently in his six NBA seasons.
Seth Curry
The nine-year veteran has shot 43.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts during his nomadic career. While he’d be a target for opponents defensively, he’s an elite floor spacer who is comfortable starting or coming off the bench.
Joe Ingles
The longtime marksman returned from an ACL tear to shoot 40.9 percent from 3-point range over 46 games with the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s a percentage point above his career mark of 40.8 percent over nine seasons, the first eight of which he spent in Utah. While he’s mostly considered a specialist at this stage of his career, he’s an elite floor spacer who has averaged 4.4 attempts in 636 career games.
Cory Joseph
This veteran guard has worked himself into being a dependable 3-point shooter, connecting at 38.9 and 41.4 percent over his last two seasons with the Detroit Pistons while increasing his attempts. He’s also a solid lead guard who holds his own defensively.
Damion Lee
Despite shooting 25 percent from 3-point range during his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017-18, he’s a career 37.9 percent shooter on 3.4 attempts over six seasons. That includes a sizzling 44.5 percent in 74 games with the Suns last season, where he solidified his reputation as a reliable bench scorer.
Georges Niang
From Bulls killer to Bulls helper? This seven-year veteran always seemed to shoot the lights out against the Bulls, connecting on 44.8 percent of his career 3-point attempts in the series. Overall, the forward has shot 40.3 percent from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts over 383 career games with three franchises. He only has started 19 games, which means he’s used to filling the reserve role that any free-agent addition projects to play in Chicago. He also would be targeted by opponents at the defensive end.
Josh Richardson
A prototypical “3-and-D” wing, the eight-year veteran has shot 36.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts. He’s a strong defender who hasn’t let his shift from full-time starter earlier in his career to a reserve role affect his impact.
Yuta Watanabe
This left-hander connected at a career-high 44.4 percent from 3-point range for the Brooklyn Nets last season, albeit on low volume of 2.3 attempts per game. Like Lee, he’s another player who feels like he’s just scratching the surface of his potential and could benefit by more playing time.
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