Chicago Bulls: Bringing Javonte Green back makes a lot of sense

There’s still a long way that the Chicago Bulls have to go to figure out this bench ahead of next season. Free agency might not be done for the Bulls at this point. Despite making some big signings during the free agency negotiation window this week, the Bulls still have a lot of work to do to figure out the bench.

The Bulls did get one step closer to rounding out the bench for head coach Billy Donovan entering the weekend. According to a report from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski on Aug. 6, the Bulls re-sign the former Boston Celtics shooting guard Javonte Green on a two-year.

Green landed with the Bulls in a trade deadline day deal back on March 25 that also brought center Daniel Theis to Chicago. Theis wound up landing with the Houston Rockets this offseason, so at least one of the two former Celtics will return for the Bulls heading into next season.

Depth needs on the wing is likely the main reason why the Bulls re-signed Green. Bringing Green back will also help to bolster the perimeter and/or wing defense for Donovan and the Bulls.

It’s a good thing the Chicago Bulls re-signed shooting guard Javonte Green this summer

Among the impending free agents the Bulls had this summer, Green looked to be one of the more likely to return. He had a nice stretch run with the Bulls post-deadline last season.

In 16 games played with the Bulls down the stretch last season, Green averaged 2.6 points per game, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks. And he shot 45.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and he was perfect on 10 attempts from the charity stripe.

But you have to peer deeper into the advanced metrics to see the impact that Green made at times for the Bulls. He was among the two best Bulls players last season in defensive box plus/minus at 3.2 and had a very impressive steal (3.8) and block percentage (2.7).

A true shooting percentage around 58.0 also showed that Green has the ability to be a very efficient shooter for the Bulls.

Green was a low-cost option for the Bulls to acquire at the trade deadline. And landing him could benefit the Bulls for a good while, especially after he was re-signed for two more years.

The fact that the free agent market dried up for the Bulls of late in terms of cost-effective options to help continue to improve on the defensive end of the floor meant that re-signing Green became more viable as the week moved along. Re-signing him is a move that Bulls fans should be happy with, as it makes sense for all parties involved.

Heading into next season, Green should get most of his minutes at the two behind star shooting guard Zach LaVine. The Bulls did bring in a trio of guards this offseason that could all get minutes ahead of Green. But since Green brings a stronger defensive presence to the table than second-year point guard Coby White, he should be able to carve out a clear role for himself in this rotation moving forward.