Tag: NBA Free Agency

3 players Spurs should have signed in NBA free agency

Here are three players the San Antonio Spurs should have looked to sign in NBA free agency.

Heading into the summer, all eyes were on the San Antonio Spurs, as they landed the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, allowing them to select Victor Wembanyama. But outside of that, they entered the offseason with heaps of cap space. They didn’t end up using it in free agency, though, instead adding various players via trades.

But should they have attempted to add pieces in free agency? Should they have looked to add core pieces around Wembanyama in hopes of fielding a competitive roster? In the end, they are probably better off sticking with their guys and developing their young talent, but it’s intriguing to think about what could have been.

Here are three free agents the Spurs should have signed this offseason.

Bulls star Nikola Vucevic labeled free agency ‘winner’

Nikola Vucevic was listed as one of the biggest Chicago Bulls “winners” in free agency.

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The Chicago Bulls were a very active team in free agency, adding key depth pieces and retaining their own players. They brought in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig to help solidify their bench and re-signed Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and, most importantly, big man Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic earned himself a three-year, $60 million extension with Chicago. The veteran center played in all 82 games for the Bulls this past year and has been a double-double machine for the majority of his career. While keeping him around means the Bulls are committing to their current, likely mid-tier, core, the contract is a win for Vucevic.

According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Vucevic is one of the biggest Bulls “winners” from free agency.

“Entering free agency, Nikola Vučević’s earnings potential seemed uncertain. While he’d had a mostly productive two-plus-season stint in Chicago, it was unclear how the market would react to a 32-year-old center with fairly severe defensive limitations and a so-so outside shot.

“Yet, the Bulls seemingly felt he was enough of a flight risk to prevent his free-agency venture altogether and instead hand him a three-year, $60 million extension before the market opened. Had he hit free agency, it’s hard to imagine he would’ve done any better. It’s possible he would’ve done worse, so that’s a win in itself.

“Beyond that, though, he picked up another win with the fact that Chicago otherwise left its center rotation untouched.

“Andre Drummond picked up his player option, but he wasn’t a major threat to Vučević’s floor time this past season. In fact, the Montenegrin logged more minutes than he had at any point of his Bulls’ tenure (33.5 per game). He has no obvious reason to expect to see a reduction this time around,” Buckley wrote.

Was re-signing Vucevic the right move for the Bulls?

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Signing Jevon Carter dubbed biggest win for Bulls this offseason

Signing Jevon Carter was a massive win for the Chicago Bulls.

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When this past season ended, the Chicago Bulls committed to winning. Arturas Karnisovas stated the team had no interest in rebuilding, meaning it would push to get back to the playoffs after they were bounced in the play-in tournament.

They looked to add to their roster in free agency while retaining key pieces. Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu and brought in Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter in free agency. The former of those two free-agency additions is expected to step into the starting point guard role.

According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, signing Carter was the Bulls’ biggest win of the offseason.

“Carter made our early “best value free agents” list before free agency started, as the veteran point guard is the perfect complement to stars with his defense, three-point shooting and ability to play on or off the ball.

“Chicago was smart to add him to a backcourt that will once again be without Lonzo Ball, as Carter can start at point guard or be a key rotation player off the bench to mix and match with guys like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.

“The Bulls can certainly use his 42.2 percent three-point shooting and playmaking ability. Getting Carter for under $20 million over three years was a great signing,” Swartz wrote.

The 27-year-old point guard is a staunch defender who will also help the Bulls’ 3-point shooting woes.

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3 free agent centers Bulls should sign with their final roster spot

Here are three centers the Chicago Bulls should look to sign in free agency.

After losing in the play-in tournament this past season, the Chicago Bulls decided to strive for improvement instead of entering a rebuild.

With that goal in mind, they brought back core pieces and signed new players in free agency. Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu returned, and the Bulls added Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.

On top of that, Andre Drummond accepted his player option and will back up Vucevic again. But the Bulls still don’t have much center depth. The only other big man on the roster outside of Vucevic and Drummond is rookie Adama Sanogo, who is on a two-way contract.

Here are three centers the Bulls should look to sign in free agency with their final open roster spot.

Report: Grant Williams, Bulls contract talks got serious

Grant Williams and the Chicago Bulls had “serious” contract talks this summer.

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The Chicago Bulls made some additions this summer, but they were apparently close to making another. During a recent appearance on “The Old Man & The Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter,” Grant Williams revealed he had serious contract talks with the Bulls before his sign-and-trade to the Dallas Mavericks. (H/t Daniel Greenberg)

In the end, Williams joined the Mavericks via a sign-and-trade facilitated by the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. Dallas received Williams, the Celtics received second-round picks, and San Antonio got Reggie Bullock. Before that, Williams spoke with multiple teams in free agency, and Chicago was one of them.

Williams would have been a great fit in Chicago due to his defensive abilities and 3-point shooting. The Bulls entered the offseason in desperate need of shooting. They were one of the worst shooting teams in the league this past season.

For the Celtics last season, Williams appeared in 79 games, starting 23, and played a career-high 25.9 minutes per contest. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 39.5% from behind the 3-point line.

Chicago didn’t have much cap space this summer, so the Bulls would have had to make a sign-and-trade to land Williams at the contract he ended up signing for. There’s a chance they were in talks to sign him for less, but Williams was never going to sign for the minimum.

Do you think the Bulls should have signed Williams this summer?

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Bulls urged to bring back Javonte Green in free agency

Should the Chicago Bulls look to bring back Javonte Green this summer?

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The Chicago Bulls have made multiple moves this summer. In hopes of getting back into the playoffs next season, Chicago stayed active in free agency. It has no intention of taking a step back. Instead, it adjusted the roster for the better, bringing back core pieces and adding impact players.

Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. In free agency, it signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. The changes improved the ceiling of the roster, but more moves could be out there if the Bulls want to secure a playoff spot next season.

According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Bulls should look to bring back Javonte Green as a late free agency steal.

“Chicago could start its search in-house, as Green has spent the past two-plus seasons in the Windy City.

“During this stretch, he has further established himself as one of the league’s better defensive role players and showed some encouraging developments with his shot. Those were most apparent in the past two seasons, when his connection rates climbed to 54.7 percent from the field, 36 percent from three and 78 percent at the free-throw line.

“But his 2022-23 campaign was thrown off track by right knee surgery. Once the calendar flipped to the new year, he only made four more appearances, none of which lasted longer than 14 minutes.

“Still, if the Bulls have reasons to be confident about his health, then they also have reasons to want him back. They’ve seen the kind of impact he can make as a low-maintenance player who won’t take touches away from Vučević, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan,” Buckley wrote.

Should Chicago re-sign Green?

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Report: Bulls expected to show interest in 17-year NBA veteran

The Chicago Bulls could look to sign a 17-year NBA veteran in free agency.

Heading into the offseason, the Chicago Bulls wanted to improve. Arturas Karnisovas stated the team had no interest in a rebuild. Its goal was to get back into the playoffs. In the two years of having this core together, the Bulls have won a single playoff game, and that simply isn’t good enough.

So, at the beginning of free agency, the Bulls stayed active. They brought in Jevon Carter to be their starting point guard (most likely) and Torrey Craig to give them depth off the bench. They brought back Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. But they may not be done yet.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Bulls are expected to be one of many teams to show an interest in 17-year NBA veteran Rudy Gay.

“Veteran forward Rudy Gay is expected to draw interest from several playoff-caliber teams, including the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Pelicans, league sources told HoopsHype.

“Gay was healthy last season minus a finger joint sprain that sidelined him for two weeks and a member of Utah’s rotation through most of last season. Over the last few years of his career, the 17-year veteran has developed into primarily a power forward,” Scotto wrote.

Gay was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in the John Collins deal and then moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who waived him.

With the Jazz this past season, Gay averaged 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 38% from the field and 25.4% from distance.

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Report: Bulls re-sign Ayo Dosunmu to 3-year, $21 million contract

The Chicago Bulls have re-signed Ayo Dosunmu to a three-year, $21 million deal.

The Chicago Bulls have re-signed point guard Ayo Dosunmu to a three-year, $21 million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Reports indicated Dosunmu’s tenure in Chicago might have ended, but the two sides worked out a deal that will have the 23-year-old return to the Bulls for the next few seasons.

This past year, Dosunmu failed to capitalize on his rookie year, even taking a step back in the shooting department. In 80 appearances, including 51 starts, he played 26.2 minutes per game and averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Dosunmu shot 49.3% from the field and 31.2% from distance on 2.4 3-point attempts per contest.

Dosunmu had been linked to the Toronto Raptors; he was a restricted free agent. Now he joins what’s quickly becoming a packed backcourt group in Chicago.

The Bulls re-signed Coby White this summer and brought in Jevon Carter via free agency. Add Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso, and the Bulls have five capable guards on the roster who deserve minutes.

The addition of Carter will cut into Dosunmu’s minutes, and he will likely battle with White, who had a great end to the year this past season, for guard minutes off the bench.

With his new three-year contract, Dosunmu will undoubtedly look to improve his offensive game while continuing to be a plus on the defensive end.

In the end, this feels like a very fair deal for a young point guard who has proven to be a solid pick-up for the Bulls.

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Kelly Oubre Jr. floated as potential Bulls free agency target

Should the Chicago Bulls look to sign Kelly Oubre Jr. in free agency?

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With the goal of improving their roster’s ceiling, the Chicago Bulls  attacked free agency from its start. Arturas Karnisovas stated the team had no intention of rebuilding, and shifted his efforts to getting back to the postseason.

Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White. In free agency, the Bulls brought in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. However, there could be more moves for them to make. They may only have one roster spot left, but some solid players are still available in free agency.

According to Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation, Kelly Oubre Jr. could be a potential target.

“I suppose it’s possible that Oubre signs a deal higher than the veteran minimum, but he also remains on the market for a reason,” Schuster wrote. “While he did average 20.3 points per game in his 48 appearances for the Charlotte Hornets last year, he chucked up nearly 17 shots per game and converted at just a 43.1 percent clip. If the Bulls want to add a scoring punch to their second unit, Oubre might be worth a call. But they also better be ready for some ice-cold nights and some frustrating decision-making.”

Oubre Jr. had a large role with the Charlotte Hornets this past season, but they finished in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The 6-foot-7 wing is still just 27 years old and could help improve Chicago’s offense with his 3-point shooting and shot creation.

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Austin Reaves considered Spurs in free agency before Lakers return

Austin Reaves considered joining the San Antonio Spurs in free agency before returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.

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The San Antonio Spurs‘ offseason was defined by their selection of Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old French product is already a superstar, drawing the attention of many around the entire basketball world. In just his first Summer League game, the gym was sold out.

San Antonio has made other moves, too, though. They’ve re-signed Tre Jones, Julian Champagnie, and Sandro Mamukelashvili and brought in Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens (who was waived), Reggie Bullock, and Cameron Payne via trade. However, they were close to making another move that would have seen them land an up-and-coming guard.

During an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers guard revealed that he nearly signed with the Spurs and the Houston Rockets. (H/t Jacob Rude of Silver Screen and Roll)

“Houston, before [they signed] Fred [VanVleet] and then San Antonio,” Reaves said when asked which teams he thought about signing with.

That being said, Reaves also noted that he always wanted to return to the Lakers, where he ended up re-signing.

“I really wanted to be in LA the whole time,” said Reaves.”There were a couple situations that were close but, like I said, I really wanted to be in LA. LA feels like home to me so that’s really where I wanted to be.”

Reaves agreed to re-join the Lakers on a four-year, $56 million contract during free agency.

Would you have wanted to see him in San Antonio alongside Wembanyama?

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