Chicago Bulls: 3 free agents AK missed out on last offseason

Free agents Arturas Karnisovas and the Chicago Bulls missed out on: Garrison Mathews

One free agent signing that would’ve looked really good in hindsight for Karnisovas and the Bulls is someone now playing out with a team struggling in the Western Conference that recently beat Chicago. Sharpshooting two-guard/wing Garrison Mathews is playing in his first season with the Houston Rockets, and just had himself an amazing game against the Bulls.

There wasn’t really any legitimate pursuit of Mathews out of free agency last offseason that I remember. But this is certainly a free agent target in hindsight that would’ve filled a need on the bench for Donovan and the Bulls this season.

Mathews is a sharpshooter that could’ve filled a roster spot for the Bulls instead of the former Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors shooting guard Matt Thomas. Yet, the Rockets took advantage of Mathews being available in free agency in the latter stages of the offseason and inked him to a deal during Training Camp and the preseason.

In six games played for the Rockets this season, Mathews is averaging around 10 points per game, three rebounds, one assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks while shooting a solid 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from beyond the arc, and 73 percent from the free-throw line.

With the type of performance that Mathews had in the Rockets’ Nov. 24 win at the Toyota Center in Houston over the Bulls, we saw a chip on his shoulders that he’s likely to play with against any team that passed on him during the offseason. Mathews registered a dozen points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block while shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc in one of the best performances of his career against the Bulls earlier this week.