Chicago Bulls: 5 free agents that must be avoided this offseason

Chicago Bulls free agents they must avoid this summer: Mike Conley

Veteran point guard Mike Conley is set to enter free agency this off-season, though a return to the Utah Jazz seems plausible for both sides depending on how they fare in the playoffs. If Conley does entertain offers from other teams there will certainly be interest.

The Bulls will be mentioned due to their decision to speed up their timeline when they acquired all-star center Nikola Vucevic. Being mentioned does not mean it is something the team should seriously consider.

Conley has fared much better in his second season with the Jazz. At 33 years old the Ohio State product averaged 16.2 points and 6 assists per game for the first place Jazz.

One could see why he would make the Bulls a much better team in the short term. That I will not argue. It should not be argued at all.

Will it push this team to contender status to add an aging but still very good point guard? Absolutely not. The fact that it would likely cost the Bulls all of their potential cap space makes it a move not worth prioritizing.

One caveat here would be if he came to the team on a discount. First, I don’t see any reason he would do so. If he did, though, sure the team should absolutely show interest in him. Not only would he fit alongside players like LaVine and Vecevic but he would be a great mentor for Coby White at the point guard spot.

That mentorship is where he would truly be the greatest asset to the organization. Conley is far from a traditional point guard and that lines up well with how many view White at this point. He is someone White can certainly learn from and in my mind, he is a player White should be watching closely in this year’s NBA playoffs and beyond.

Still, with the impending free agency of LaVine on the horizon and the franchise in need of convincing him he should trust them to build a winner long-term, the negatives of signing Conley far outweigh the positives.