Getty Austin Rivers is still a free agent.
The Chicago Bulls have made a few quiet additions this offseason, signing former Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jevon Carter and ex-Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig to three- and two-year deals, respectively.
After re-signing big man Nikola Vucevic and versatile guard Coby Jones, Chicago still has a few more moves to make, but the team doesn’t have a ton of money left to spend.
Technically, the Bulls have three open roster spots, with guard Carlik Jones likely filling one. Restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu’s return is a big question mark at this point, but it’s still possible he’ll re-sign and fill a slot. If he doesn’t, though, the Bulls could certainly add another guard for depth, although Chicago may want to prioritize adding more size.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley put forth a short list of “free agency steals” the Bulls could pursue in his July 20 column, which included re-signing Javonte Green and adding veteran Austin Rivers, who spent his 2022-23 campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Why Would Bulls Want to Add a Player Like Rivers?
AUSTIN RIVERS COLD-BLOODED ❄
(via @NBA)
So, if the Bulls don’t bring Dosunmu back, would Rivers be a solid addition? Here’s Buckley’s pitch:
Why not Austin Rivers? He would give this group more experience (including 64 career playoff games), an ability to play either guard spot, some pesky perimeter defense and maybe more offense than he’s shown of late. He had a two-year stretch earlier in his career when he shot a strong percentage from three (37.5) on decent volume (4.9 attempts per game), so maybe there’s hope of him getting his groove back on that end. And, to be clear, he hasn’t been disastrous on offense in recent seasons. His scoring output has plummeted (career-lows each of the past two seasons), but he’s been a 35.3 percent shooter from range since the start of 2019-20.
Rivers, who turns 31 on August 1, played in 52 games last season (10 starts). He averaged just over 19 minutes a game and finished with 4.9 points (a career low), 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting 43.5% from the field and 35% from distance (stats via Basketball Reference).
The son of legendary NBA coach Doc Rivers, he would surely be an affordable addition to Chicago’s roster. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Rivers signed a one-year deal with the Timberwolves for just under $3 million last season, and he would likely command less than that next season.
Bulls May Want to Add Christian Wood Instead, But Money Matters
Chicago has a $10.2 million Disabled Player Exception it was granted after losing Lonzo Ball for the season, along with $6.1 million of its Mid-Level Exception left after spending half on Carter. The Bulls also have a $4.5 million Bi-Annual Exception they can spend.
Will Gottlieb of CHGO Sports noted that “The Bulls are hard capped at the $175 million first apron — they are not able to exceed that number under any circumstances.” Per Gottlieb, the Bulls are $8.43 million below the hard cap apron, and that’s “the largest contract they would be allowed to absorb.” Another player mentioned by Buckley as a bargain target is free agent big Christian Wood, who averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the Dallas Mavericks last season.
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported on July 19 that the Bulls were a “potential threat” to pursue Wood, who would give the Bulls a solid scoring threat and more power in the paint. We will see what happens, but right now, Wood feels like the frontrunner to fill one of Chicago’s few remaining roster spots.
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Bulls Pushed to Add Son of Coaching Legend as Free Agency ‘Steal’