Chicago Bulls: 3 forgotten players that should be deadline targets

2) Forgotten players who could be Chicago Bulls targets

Jalen Brunson, Guard

A very potentially intriguing trade deadline target for Karnisovas and the Bulls could be the former Villanova Wildcats star and Dallas Mavericks third-year guard Jalen Brunson. This 6-foot-1 and 190 pound 24-year-old New Jersey native was picked up by the Mavericks in the second round (33rd overall) in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Brunson has since proven to be one of the hidden gems that was picked in the second round of the 2018 draft. He’s got to play in over 150 career regular season games, and started in more than one-third of them, in what is a young and very talented Mavericks backcourt rotation that also features the likes of superstar point guard Luka Doncic, volume scoring guard/wing Tim Hardaway Jr., and shooting guard Josh Richardson.

While the Bulls wouldn’t expect Brunson to come in and start right away in their backcourt rotation, he could be a really nice depth boost for the young core. Brunson would likely fall into a long-term role as a second unit guard behind the likes of star shooting guard Zach LaVine and second-year point guard Coby White.

Moreover, Brunson has started in six of the 24 games he’s played in for the Mavericks so far this season, averaging around 24 minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged a career-best 11.7 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and no blocks. Brunson shot an efficient 51.5 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Brunson is in the midst of the second-to-last year of his rookie contract. The Bulls would be able to get around a year and a half out of Brunson before his bargain bin rookie contract runs up.