3 perfect free agents to fill the Chicago Bulls final roster spot

3. Paul Reed

Paul Reed is a 24-year-old center who has shown flashes of being a solid player in his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. Reed was able to leapfrog Montrezl Harrell in the depth chart, but he was unable to truly make his mark on the team as he was playing behind the MVP of the league, Joel Embiid. In that short time, however, he has shown potential on both ends.

The sample size here is small, but in the 4 games that Reed started this season (regular season and playoffs), he averaged 11.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, recording a double-double in three of those four games. He was a monster on the boards in those games, recording 28 rebounds in the two playoff games he started, 12 of those on the offensive glass. Additionally, he has been an excellent defender, showing a tremendous ability to block shots and disrupt the passing lanes.

Reed showed out in the playoffs and is now going to command some under-the-radar interest for NBA teams looking for a strong paint presence as a backup big. The Bulls could definitely use a player like Paul Reed, as he would be able to offset some of Nikola Vucevic’s downfalls on the defensive end, and provide even more rotational flexibility as Reed can play both the power forward and center positions.

A contract offer would be interesting for the Bulls, as Reed is a restricted free agent, which means that the 76ers have the right to match any contract that another team offers. This means that if the Bulls make an offer, they still may not get Reed, which creates more uncertainty for the team than an unrestricted free agent pickup would. Despite this, Reed would be a very interesting play if the Bulls cannot sign these other two free agents.