2) Chicago Bulls free agent targets to watch in NBA Finals: Markieff Morris
Turning to a proven free agent target that is a veteran forward competing in the NBA Finals could help bring an edge to the Bulls roster that they don’t currently have right now. There’s not really a proven winner that the Bulls can rely on, maybe outside of the former Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young. That’s what the Lakers 31-year-old former Kansas Jayhawks forward Markieff Morris.
In the 2019-20 shortened regular season, Morris played well. But he’s really stood out at different points of this playoff run to date for the Lakers. He played in 58 games between his time with the Lakers and Detroit Pistons during the 2019-20 regular season (starting in 17 of them). Morris averaged 9.7 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks.
He shot 44.3 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.6 percent from the free-throw line.
If the Bulls are planning to part ways with Young at any point in the near future, then bringing in Morris could have a similar veteran presence to the locker room while bringing a rejuvenated feel to the rotation at the three or four spot.
But where Morris is really standing out with the Lakers this year is in the playoffs. While he’s getting less playing time overall, he’s more efficient in the process. Morris is playing in less than 18 minutes per game in the playoffs, and averaging just 5.0 points per game. But he’s also shooting better than 43.0 percent from beyond the arc and he’s up to a career-best .098 win shares per 48 minutes in the playoffs to date.