Chicago Bulls: Otto Porter Jr. should be re-signed long term

It’s of the utmost importance that the Bulls re-sign Otto Porter Jr., but the contract he might demand is where things get tricky. The former Washington Wizard will be eligible to go on the market for the second time in his career.

The last time Porter Jr. went on the market he signed a 4-year, $106 million max contract with the Wizards. In what was a pretty good year for free agent wings (Joe Ingles, Danillo Gallinari, Paul Milsap, etc.) Porter Jr. still commanded a max contract. This time around might not be as rewarding for Porter Jr.

With wing players being at a premium, they often command a large salary. According to spotrac, the highest average salary for a position are Point Guards at $9,058,569, followed by Small Forwards at $7,745,886.

In the NFL, average quarterbacks get paid more than they’re worth because of the importance of the QB position and of how hard it is to find even an above-average QB. In the NBA, It’s hard to find wing players that can have an impact on both sides of the ball. Portland signed Evan Turner to a massive contract because of his versatility on offense and because he had the size to hold up defensively.

Turner’s four-year, $70 million contract turned into one of the worst contracts in the NBA because Turner’s lack of shooting hindered his effectiveness. Mo Harkless lacked the ball skills and passing of Evan Turner, but he’s a much better defender than Turner. Despite his flaws, Harkless signed to a four-year, $42 million contract.