Few expected the Chicago Bulls to bring back unrestricted free agent and fifth-year former Michigan State Spartans shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine to return to the Windy City heading into next season. In fact, there was a possibility that no one was going to sign Valentine to a guaranteed NBA contract this offseason.
Although it did seem more likely than not that Valentine would get another shot somewhere else to at least make a 15-man roster, at the bare minimum, heading into next season.
And that is where the Cleveland Cavaliers picked up Valentine to see if he’s a good fit with their potential final roster heading into next season. The divisional foe Cavs signed Valentine to a guaranteed one-year contract worth just shy of $2 million for next season.
There was a need for the Cavs to add some wing shooting help this offseason, hence why Valentine was a logical fit. Valentine will join one of his former Bulls teammates that is new to Cleveland in power forward Lauri Markkanen heading into next season.
Former Chicago Bulls SG/SF Denzel Valentine sees a new opportunity with the Cavaliers
It will be interesting to see how the fit works out in Cleveland with both Markkanen and Valentine. In terms of Cleveland being a team with a rising young core in the Central Division that still has a lot to prove, that situation is not a whole lot different than what the Bulls had a few years ago with Markkanen and Valentine with this young core.
Yet, Valentine still views this opportunity for him with the Cavaliers different than he did in the last couple of seasons with the Bulls. According to a piece from Chris Fedor of cleveland.com this week, Valentine sees a new opportunity with the Cavs that could help him get a necessary change of scenery.
Here’s some of the key parts that Valentine mentioned in this piece with cleveland.com.
"“This is a major difference for me obviously,” Valentine said. “Coming in here and being part of a young hungry group that wants to win and wants to get better and wants to compete, I’m just happy to be here and happy to be part of it. Individually, just do whatever I can. Come in, play my minutes, make shots, share the ball, play defense, be versatile, be the player I know I can be. Do all the little things and take advantage of the moment. I like the group. I like everything we have. I like our direction. It’s really different than Chicago, but it’s a good different. Change is good sometimes.”"
Valentine usually seemed optimistic about different opportunities he had with the Bulls in the last few seasons. Different coaching regimes with the Bulls presented different chances for Valentine to succeed with this team.
It really felt like Valentine would be a good fit in the system last season under first-year head coach Billy Donovan. But Valentine actually finished out last season with some of his worst offensive efficiency numbers of his career.
If Valentine doesn’t succeed with the Cavs next season, this will probably be his last chance to prove he belongs on an NBA roster. Above all else, Valentine needs to prove that he can be a solid facilitator and shooter on a consistent basis.
During his five seasons playing for the Bulls, Valentine never found much of any consistency. He missed a lot of time due to injury, including all of the 2018-19 season. And when he was healthy, he never held a consistent spot in the rotation under head coaches Fred Hoiberg, Jim Boylen, and/or Donovan.