Chicago Bulls: 5 deep sleepers to find in free agency

Deep sleepers the Chicago Bulls could sign in free agency: Keita Bates-Diop

Maybe the most experienced of all of the players on this list that the Bulls could look to in free agency this offseason is the San Antonio Spurs 6-foot-8 and 230-pound forward Keita Bates-Diop. Already having played for three different teams over the course of three seasons in his NBA career to date, Bates-Diop will be looking to find a steadier landing spot next this summer.

Bates-Diop was the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played in bits and pieces of two seasons with the Timberwolves, before spending the last season and a half with the Spurs and Denver Nuggets. Bates-Diop was actually a member of the same organization as Karnisovas for a small bit of time, when he was the Nuggets general manager.

Last season was also about the peak level of production we’ve seen from Bates-Diop in his brief time in the NBA thus far. In 44 games played between his time with the Timberwolves and Nuggets, Bates-Diop averaged 6.5 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he shot 42.7 percent from the field, 33.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Bates-Diop could be a nice two-way addition for the Bulls as a third unit forward. He wouldn’t be the biggest addition (at least we would hope) this offseason for the Bulls. But again, a cap strapped team that could need to add numbers to the 15-man roster, or in a two-way contract slot, could very well utilize Bates-Diop.