Slept on free agents that would be great for Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls: Kent Bazemore
There needs to be some level of help that Karnisovas and the Bulls go out and get this summer for Donovan. Bringing back veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple could help with establishing a better defensive presence for this team. But it looks like the Bulls will need help from another source if they are to make legitimate strides on that end of the floor next season.
The Bulls need to add a capable wing to the rotation that is a good defender. That is not something that the Bulls really had coming off the bench last season, especially after the front office dealt veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. at the deadline to the Orlando Magic.
An option for the Bulls to both upgrade defensively and fill a wing depth need this summer could be the 6-foot-5 and 195-pound small forward Kent Bazemore. The 32-year-old former Old Dominion Monarch spent his run this season with the Golden State Warriors. And he was much more effective on the offensive end of the floor than most hoops fans are accustomed to.
But Bazemore was able to see an uptick in his offensive efficiency while maintaining his usual defensive prowess. During the regular season, Bazemore averaged 7.2 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he shot an effective 44.9 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Bazemore showed during the 2020-21 campaign that he’s got some good years remaining in his NBA career. That is something that Donovan and the Bulls could take full advantage of, given his versatile skill set and ability to upgrade for this team defensively on the wing.