5 hometown players the Chicago Bulls should sign before they retire

4. Fred VanVleet

Over the course of Fred VanVleet‘s seven years in the league, he has quickly become a star. He began to hit his stride after he got his first ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, averaging 17.6 points per game the next season. Since then, he has truly developed into one of the premier point guards in the league, primarily providing excellent shooting from deep and facilitating the offense well. VanVleet’s best season was in 2021-22, where he averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists while being named an All-Star.

FVV was born and raised in Rockford, where he played basketball at Auburn High School. He garnered national attention in high school, ranking 83rd on the ESPN 100. He then went to Wichita State, where he played four years in the peak of the school’s basketball performance. He came off the bench his freshman year when Wichita State made the Final Four and was a leader on the team the next year when they went 35-1, with their only loss coming to Kentucky, who was led by Julius Randle and Aaron and Andrew Harrison.

VanVleet has proven that he can rise to the challenge in big games, and he showed this in the NBA finals when he was making everything against the Warriors.

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When looking at when the Chicago Bulls should pursue VanVleet, it should likely be later on in his career. FVV’s next contract is likely going to be pretty hefty, and it may not be worth it to pay a high price tag for an aging player. However, as VanVleet gets older, he still has the skills to keep himself in the league for a long time. This, combined with some solid mentorship for younger point guards would make him a valuable player for the Chicago Bulls if he decides to come home later in his career.