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Sep 30, 2024; Chicago, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas speaks during Chicago Bulls Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bulls have been assessed a surprising grade for an under-the-radar summer transaction.
While they remain mired in protracted contract negotiations with restricted free agent point guard Josh Giddey, the Bulls did manage to handle the free agency of one of his backups, Tre Jones.
Chicago inked the 6-foot-1 Duke product to a three-season, $24 million deal last month.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN approved the move, awarding Chicago team president Arturas Karnisovas a B+ grade.
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Across 18 contests for Chicago, Jones notched averages of 11.5 points on .572/.500/.882 shooting splits, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals a night. He was essentially an afterthought in the three-team deal that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings and De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
Pelton observes that Jones' compensation is fairly cost-effective for a solid reserve. The market for elite backup talent hovers into low-eight figure yearly territory.
"One note to watch is how the Bulls handle the structure of this contract. Barring a max deal for restricted free agent Josh Giddey, Chicago isn't close to the luxury tax this season and has cap space aspirations next summer," Pelton notes. "It might be best for the Bulls to start Jones' contract high (around $8.2 million) and have it descend for 2026-27 to maximize their room, then go up again in 2027-28.""
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