2) Chicago Bulls that could be cut before free agency: Denzel Valentine
Maybe the most talented and versatile offensive player on this list, that just ran into an unfortunate situation and spotty injury history recently in his NBA journey, is shooting guard Denzel Valentine. This 6-foot-4 and 220 pound 26-year-old former Michigan State Spartans guard was the 14th overall pick of the Bulls in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft.
He hasn’t really lived up to the billing yet. Valentine more fits the bill of the Bulls first round draft picks outside of the top 10 in the last half-decade that ran into a lot of unlucky injury troubles and haven’t contributed to the wing rotation as expected yet. The other name that belongs in this category for the Bulls is the 6-foot-7 former Boise State Broncos small forward Chandler Hutchison.
However, Valentine is one of the four major impending free agent guards that the Bulls have to decide what to do with this offseason. The other three are the rookie French 6-foot-5 shooting guard/wing Adam Mokoka, defensive stopper point guard Kris Dunn, and the underrated combo guard Shaquille Harrison.
It seems like the Bulls are only going to bring one, or maybe two, of those impending free agent guards back heading into next season. And that one or two of the four is unlikely to include Valentine.
There is likely to be another shot for Valentine with a two-way contract or with a low-risk minimum deal down the road with another NBA team. Or maybe Karnisovas and Eversley to find a spot for Valentine in this rebuild. It just doesn’t seem likely at all that he’ll be back in a Bulls uniform anytime soon.