Chicago Bulls: 5 underrated free agent targets to watch down the stretch

Underrated Chicago Bulls FA targets to watch down the stretch: Derrick Jones Jr.

If the Bulls look into signing the former Slam Dunk Contest champ Derrick Jones Jr. this summer, it would be the second straight offseason that they’ve done so. Karnisovas and the Bulls would be able to add a new dynamic to their wing rotation if they are able to get the uber-athletic and still promising Portland Trail Blazers small forward in the mix for next season. Jones Jr. seems like a good wing to add for the Bulls on a valued one or two-year contract to test the waters on his fit in Chicago.

A common theme among potential Bulls free agent targets on this list to watch down the stretch this season is that they all could be low-risk options in their own right. The Blazers took a very low-risk option in signing Jones Jr. off the free agent market last offseason. And while his addition has provided mixed results, he’s still showing he has a lot of value on both ends of the floor.

The Bulls still don’t really have a plethora of proven depth in their wing rotation at this point in time. Addressing that problem is key for the new front office this coming offseason. Jones Jr. is by no means someone that will fill a three-and-D role for the Bulls as it stands now. He’s not much of a floor spacer. But he can provide something that rookie forward Patrick Williams doesn’t in the fact that he runs well in transition and can confidently drive the lane and get to the foul line.

What Jones Jr. could do to compliment Williams’ game in the near future is give this wing rotation another solid on-ball defender. Jones Jr. hasn’t had his usual defensive production with the Blazers this season. But that is more of a fault on Portland head coach Terry Stotts for boasting one of the worst team defenses in the NBA.