Chicago Bulls: 3 sleeper free agents to target in the offseason

The same names are often thrown around when it comes to possible free agents for the Chicago Bulls to sign this summer: Lonzo Ball, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, etc.

As good as those players are, almost every team with enough cap space could talk themselves into trying to get one of them to sign on the dotted line. It’s far from a certainty that they choose Chicago.

But beyond the top class of household names lies another layer of talent that Arturas Karnisovas and the front office can’t afford to ignore, even if the fans sometimes do.

You don’t always get your first option in free agency, so it becomes imperative to have other plans. These three players may not be the hottest names on the market but would make great fits in Chicago if the Bulls were to sign them.

Where to start with the Chicago Bulls in free agency?

Spencer Dinwiddie

With a player option of $12.3 million set for this offseason, it’s not a sure thing that point guard Spencer Dinwiddie will even be on the market this summer. However, all signs point to him opting out of his contract and hitting free agency.

In fact, he said so himself.

Dinwiddie missed most of the 2020-2021 NBA season, playing just three games before being sidelined with a partial ACL tear in December.

He offers all that you could want from a point guard on offense. Dinwiddie can handle the ball, score with ease from range or in the paint, and can run an offense with his exquisite playmaking.

In 2019-2020, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points per game and 6.8 assists, finishing second in Value over Replacement Player (VORP) on a Playoff team.

If Dinwiddie is the same player he was prior to his injury, he would be the perfect fit to fill the Bulls’ void at starting point guard.

Where to look for Chicago Bulls in free agency?

Victor Oladipo

Like Dinwiddie, Victor Oladipo is an All-Star caliber guard who has lost a lot to injury. A ruptured quad tendon in his right knee in January 2019 abruptly ended his 2018-2019 season. Since then, he’s played just 52 games in the past two seasons.

When healthy though, Oladipo is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. In three seasons with the Pacers, he was selected to two All-Star teams, averaging 20.7 PPG and playing elite defense.

The fit in the backcourt next to Zach LaVine may seem strange at first, considering both traditionally play the two-guard position.

However, slotting LaVine over to point guard to put Oladipo next to him in the backcourt could make the Bulls better on both ends of the ball.

LaVine’s 23.4 assist percentage this season was comparable to Kemba Walker (23.8%), Lonzo Ball (25.4%), and other starting point guards. He was by no means elite last season in his focus on playmaking, ranking 36th in the NBA with 4.9 assists per game, but definitely showed promise as an improved passer.

Slotting 2017-2018 All-Defensive First Team guard Oladipo next to LaVine could help cover for his defensive deficiencies. It would also give Chicago another go-to scoring option, and an extra ball-handler for when LaVine is off the court.

Despite a rough 2020-2021 season in which he played just 33 games for three different teams, Oladipo still has a lot to offer on both ends of the ball when healthy. Playing next to LaVine could be the stabilizing force his career needs.

Where to look for Chicago Bulls in free agency?

Kelly Oubre Jr.

Cast in a role that required too much of him in Golden State, Chicago could make a great next home for Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Tsunami Papi struggled as the second option in Golden State behind Stephen Curry, shooting just 43.9 field goal percentage, his lowest since the 2017-2018 season which he spent with the Washington Wizards.

Despite his struggles in Oakland, Oubre Jr. has a lot to offer as a third or fourth option scorer. Behind Vucevic and LaVine in Chicago could be the perfect role for him to thrive.

It’s become extremely clear this year that he is not an outside shooter (31.6 3P%), making him a horrible fit for Golden State’s style of play.

What Oubre Jr. does bring, however, is athletic scoring and rebounding on the wing, making him a strong option to play power forward in smaller lineups.

His highlight reel of dunks speaks for itself.

If he were to start beside Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic in the frontcourt, his slashing abilities would help create options for Vucevic to score from the perimeter, or off a dump pass in the paint.

Still just 25, he fits in perfectly next to LaVine (26 years old) as part of the Bulls young-ish core.

He didn’t fully live up to the high expectations that came with playing next to Curry, but it is possible that Oubre Jr. could succeed in a new environment in Chicago.