Former Tar Heels the Chicago Bulls could pair with Coby White: Wayne Ellington
What could be a very viable target in free agency for the Bulls this summer is the former Tar Heel and Detroit Pistons veteran shooting guard Wayne Ellington. This 33-year-old was the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft of the Minnesota Timberwolves. And since he was first drafted by the Timberwolves, Ellington has played for a whopping nine teams.
But one of the teams he has not played for in his NBA career to date is the Bulls. Ellington actually had a very solid season with the tanking Pistons. And there’s likely consideration from the front office in the Motor City to try and re-sign him if the price tag is cheap enough.
Ellington signed a one-year deal with the Pistons back in December 2020, so he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. If the Bulls do decide to let someone like the former Michigan State Spartans shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine walk this summer, then Ellington could be a nice fit as a second unit guard with Coby.
In 46 games played during the regular season, Ellington averaged 9.6 points per game, 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks. And he shot 44.1 percent from the field, 42.2 percent from beyond the arc (good for 18th best in the NBA this season), and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.
There would be nothing sexy about signing Ellington this summer. But he is a very efficient player of late that can be a positive, or at least net neutral defender, that shoots the ball very well from deep and rarely turns it over. In fact, he’s got one of the 10 best turnover percentages among active players in the NBA.