Chicago Bulls: 4 playmaking PG free agent targets

1) Chicago Bulls playmaking PG FA targets

Emmanuel Mudiay

My personal favorite option on this list that could be a potential free agent target for the Bulls in the near future if they want to land a playmaker at the point guard position is the 24-year-old product out of Prime Prep Academy in Dallas, TX, Emmanuel Mudiay. This 6-foot-3 and 200 pound former seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft of the Denver Nuggets showed a lot of improvement in his game over the last few years.

But it was a shame for Mudiay in his development that he did not get a sustained chance to make an impact in any rotation so far this season. The last team that he played in a full season with was the Utah Jazz, after signing as a free agent during the 2019 offseason. He played in one season with the Jazz, after two with the Nuggets and another two with the New York Knicks.

Last season with the Jazz, Mudiay averaged 7.3 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He shot 46.2 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Mudiay improved his defensive play, shooting percentages almost across the board, and his assist-to-turnover ratio, last season with the Jazz compared to his prior two years with the Knicks.

There’s ample reason for the Bulls to give this still young and developing guard a chance with the front office executive (Karnisovas) that was the one to originally draft him back in 2015. That might be a good fit for Mudiay from here on out.

Karnisovas and the Nuggets drafted Mudiay as a very potent possible future star that could make waves with his offensive playmaking ability and gifted physical tools. Mudiay is showing in the last two years that his ceiling could still be high, albeit the star potential might be a bit of a stretch.