5 former players the Chicago Bulls should have never given up on

4. Spencer Dinwiddie

Speaking of developmental projects that the Chicago Bulls were too impatient with, Spencer Dinwiddie has to be one of the first names that come to mind. After a middling rookie season, the Bulls would trade Cameron Bairstow to secure the second-year guard out of Colorado in 2016.

While Dinwiddie was expected to have a role in the rotation, Chicago unexpectedly switched gears by trading Derrick Rose away to the Knicks and bringing Michael Carter-Williams on board in an attempt to get younger.

Due to this change of events, Dinwiddie would be waived and sent to the G League before the regular season began. Dinwiddie would perform extremely well with the Windy City Bulls, averaging 19.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds across nine games as the primary offensive option. However, this allowed the Brooklyn Nets to swoop in and claim the young talent.

The Chicago Bulls made several massive mistakes in the summer of 2016, including letting Spencer Dinwiddie slip their grasp.

Dinwiddie elaborated on this whole process in a recent podcast appearance back in October, and it’s well worth the listen.

Hearing things from Dinwiddie’s perspective, it’s hard not to be embarrassed not only because Spencer would end up becoming a very good NBA player, but also because of how unprofessionally the GarPax regime handled the situation.

Dinwiddie is now having the best season of his career alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas, averaging 18.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game on incredible splits of 52.5% on two-point attempts and 45.9% from beyond the arc. Considering how long Chicago struggled to find a franchise point guard before trading for Lonzo Ball, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Dinwiddie could have been that guy for the Bulls all this time.