3 players the Bulls should sign with a hardship exception

Who the Chicago Bulls could sign with hardship exemption: Edmond Sumner

One of the players in free agency that has remained an intriguing name for me for the last couple of months is the former Indiana Pacers and Nets uber-athletic guard Edmond Sumner. The Bulls could use some added guard depth from someone who can create off-the-dribble if the team is going to be missing the likes of Coby and DeMar for at least the next three or four games.

Sumner did get signed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Nets during Training Camp and the preseason. But he didn’t last as he was cut prior to the start of the regular season.

It felt like just as soon as Sumner was starting to take off with the Pacers in the last two seasons, they didn’t re-up him last offseason. Last season with the Pacers, Sumner was a solid contributor off the bench as he averaged a career-best 7.5 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting from the field, 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Sumner could be a solid second or third-unit two-way guard for the Bulls off the bench. He’s not an elite playmaker, but he definitely is insanely quick in penetrating the lane and is gifted enough of an athlete and ball-handler to create his own looks.

I wouldn’t say that Sumner is going to be a long-term fit with the Bulls. That would be more of an offseason move for the Bulls, but who knows if this were to play out in reality.