Former DeMar DeRozan teammates the Chicago Bulls could look at in free agency: Patrick Patterson
What makes all three of the former DeRozan teammates on this list that are still available in free agency this summer viable for Karnisovas and the Bulls is the fact that they each could fill a depth need at the four. And the last player on this list might be the most proven and viable option for the Bulls to add depth at the power forward position.
The veteran 32-year-old power forward and Washington D.C. native Patrick Patterson is a good option for the Bulls at this point of the offseason. He’s proved the value he brings to the table, especially on the offensive end of the floor at multiple stops at this point of his career. Patterson has now played for five different teams over the course of 11 years in his NBA career.
Most recently, Patterson was used in more of a utilitarian role with the Los Angeles Clippers. Although he only played around 14 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Clippers, he did get roughly two dozen starts in the regular season and also appeared in two playoff games.
Patterson can also consistently do a lot of what fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen did for the Bulls in the past few seasons. The main difference is that Patterson can do them on a more consistent basis. His injury track record is also cleaner than Markkanen’s.
In just under 100 regular season games played with the Clippers in the past two seasons, Patterson averaged around five points per game, two rebounds, one assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks. And he shot 42 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
If the Bulls could get that type of production out of Patterson in a bench role, that would be perfect to fill a remaining need in this rotation.