The Chicago Bulls have the difficult task of filling their roster this summer while building a playoff team. They fell short of that goal this past season, getting bounced in the second game of the play-in tournament. While a rebuild could help the team’s future, Arturas Karnisovas seems intent on running back the same core.
In addition to adding win-now players, however, Chicago should look to add some youth to the mix. They traded into the 2023 NBA draft, selecting Julian Phillips of Tennessee, and they signed UConn center Adama Sanogo to a two-way deal after he went undrafted.
Now, according to BasketNews, the Bulls have offered 24-year-old shooting guard Onuralp Bitim a two-way contract. (H/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation)
Onuralp Bitim is slated to play in the NBA or the G League next season, as the Chicago Bulls have offered him a two-way deal 🇹🇷😯 pic.twitter.com/IXSOo7sD1W
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) June 23, 2023
The Turkish veteran played for Bursaspor in the Basketbol Süper Ligi this past season. He averaged 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 45% shooting from the field and 36.6% shooting from behind the 3-point line.
Bitim is slated to play for Chicago’s summer league team in Las Vegas, which will give the Bulls a chance to get a closer look as he considers their reported offer.
Each team around the NBA gets three two-way spots this year instead of two, meaning the Bulls have a bit more flexibility. If Bitim accepts their offer, that will be two of the spots filled (Sanogo and Bitim), leaving them with one more opening.
Bitim’s 3-point shooting could be a valuable asset to a Bulls team that desperately lacks just that, especially with his size at the two-guard.
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