Predicting final free agent signing for the Chicago Bulls: Carsen Edwards
This really is a list of undersized players that are all effective modern players ideally at their respective position groups. And that is definitely the case with the former Celtics and Purdue Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards. As the most proven player on this list in actual NBA game action, far and away, Edwards would be a unique signing for the Bulls to round out the offseason.
Edwards never found that volume scoring rhythm that he showed with Purdue during the NCAA Tournament back in 2019. And it wasn’t really fair to expect him to do that on a consistent basis.
Where a team like the Bulls could give Edwards a spot to thrive is as a volume shooter that has a bit more freedom to work inside the arc. One of the biggest areas of improvement last season with Edwards was his free-throw shooting. He shot north of 86.4 percent from the charity stripe last season. But he also shot more than 56 percent of his field goals from three-point range.
Maybe more freedom could do well for Edwards to get to the line more often and use his quickness to space the floor out.
This would be a risk for the Bulls to give significant minutes in the regular season to someone like Edwards. That is why signing him to a camp deal that is non-guaranteed to prove himself first makes so much sense.
In college, Edwards showed he was a gifted shooter and scorer. And while his size can limit him, the raw bucket-getting ability he brings to the table could still be valuable to the Bulls. There is a version of Edwards that can be a better scorer and shooter from deep than Dotson. Granted, Dotson is a better facilitator with better size.
Edwards went cold down the stretch last season with the Celtics. But he was shooting north of 35 percent from beyond the arc, with a true shooting percentage above 55.0, prior to the month of April. If the Bulls let Edwards work with some space and freedom in the preseason in the backcourt unit, it could be an interesting addition for the time being without Coby.