Which potential undrafted free agent signings left on the market could be really good targets for the Chicago Bulls heading into Training Camp?
Hitting the undrafted free agent market is going to be a potent way for the Chicago Bulls to add depth and competition to the young core by way of the G-League, and namely in Training Camp. Newly hired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley already got a solid undrafted free agent signing in the former Kansas Jayhawks star sophomore point guard Devon Dotson.
The Bulls had an interesting draft. They had a pick that was widely regarded as the biggest reach of any in the top 10 in the 2020 NBA Draft, with the fourth selection of the former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward and the reigning ACC Sixth Man of the Year Patrick Williams. They also picked the KK Mega Bemax 6-foot-11 and 215 pound big man Marko Simonovic 44th overall in the second round of the draft.
This does still leave the potential for the Bulls to fill out the rest of the roster for Training Camp with a few undrafted free agent signings. Since the Bulls don’t have the usual Las Vegas Summer League evaluation process for any former undrafted free agents they have interest in, Training Camp will become an even more important time to narrow down the 15-man roster.
At the moment, the Bulls do still have both two-way contract slots open and are only looking to bring back two of their four impending free agent guards. So how could they fill out the rest of the roster heading into Training Camp, which begins Dec. 1?
Here’s a look at three remaining undrafted free agent targets that the Bulls could potentially scout further.
3) Chicago Bulls remaining UDFA targets
One of the true potential gem finds on the undrafted free agent market will be the former Virginia Cavaliers star senior big man Mamadi Diakite. Coming into the 2019-20 college hoops season, Diakite was widely projected as a late first round draft pick. His age and limited ceiling did put a cap on his draft stock, but he should also have a really high floor.
It’s rare that you see an athletic and polished big man that looks to have a clear niche for himself in an NBA role fall as an undrafted free agent. But that’s what the Bulls could get out of Diakite. The 6-foot-9 and 225 pound Guinean forward had one of his best and most efficient seasons during his senior campaign with Virginia.
During the shortened 2019-20 college hoops season, Diakite played in 30 games with the Hoos (all of which he started in). It was the first season of his career where Diakite started in all of the games he played in. And he averaged 13.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He shot 47.8 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.4 percent from the free-throw line.
The really good news for any team that wants to pursue Diakite as an undrafted free agent is that he is an improving modern big man. He continued to progress as a floor spacer, more efficient one-on-one defender down low, and he’s now more than mobile and agile enough to keep pace defending the pick-and-roll.
2) Chicago Bulls remaining UDFA targets
There would be a lot to be excited about for what the former rising four-star recruit and the highly coveted Vanier College point guard Karim Mane would bring to the table if the Bulls were to sign him as an undrafted free agent. This 6-foot-4 and 195 pound potent floor general Mane had a lot of college interest coming his way during the 2020 recruiting cycle.
Mane held offers from the likes of the Marquette Golden Eagles, Maryland Terrapins, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, Illinois Fighting Illini, Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He ranked as the nation’s No. 55 2020 high school prospect, No. 8 combo guard, and No. 1 prospect out of Quebec (247Sports Composite).
And the Top247 actually held Mane in a high enough regard to classify him as a five-star recruit. The Top247 ranked him as the nation’s No. 29 high school prospect, No. 7 combo guard, and No. 1 prospect out of Quebec.
Not only that, but Mane was regarded as the top Canadian prospect for the 2020 recruiting cycle. Despite having all that national recruiting attention, Mane decided to pass on the traditional college route and take his talents to go pro.
The likely path for Mane would be developing his game further and spending at least part of one season in the G-League. A two-way contract for Mane seems like a fantastic move for Karnisovas, Eversley, and the Bulls.
1) Chicago Bulls remaining UDFA targets
The most interesting potential undrafted free agent signing of any prospect on this list for the Bulls could be the former Kentucky Wildcats elite five-star recruit and freshman forward Kahlil Whitney. This uber-talented 6-foot-7 and 210 pound forward is a native of Chicago, which adds even more appeal to his case to sign with the Bulls.
Whitney is also one of the younger prospects in this draft class. At tip-off of the 2020-21 NBA regular season, Whitney will be 19 years old. That bodes well both for Whitney and the Bulls since he would have a lot of room to grow. That seems to be similar for the reasoning why the Bulls picked Williams fourth overall in the draft lottery.
The problem for any team pursuing Whitney as an undrafted free agent signing is the fact that he was problematic for head coach John Calipari at Kentucky. He played in 18 games during the shortened 2019-20 college hoops season for the Cats (eight of which he started in). And he averaged 3.3 points per game, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Whitney shot 37.1 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 43.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Whitney is a classic example of a high-risk, high-reward prospect. But since the Bulls would only be bringing him on as an undrafted free agent, they would not really be taking a risk on signing him. This does seem like a really good situation for Whitney as he tries to resurrect his career at the next level, and for his hometown Bulls.