Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls might not be done adding to their roster.
“The Chicago Bulls attended a private workout today for free agents Dion Waiters and Harry Giles III,” tweeted Chicago sports reporter Daniel Greenberg citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
Giles, Waiters, fellow former first-round pick Ben McLemore, and former Bulls forward Alize Johnson were all in Las Vegas during Summer League holding private workouts for teams.
Chicago was one of three teams Johnson, 27, played for during the 2021-22 season along with the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans, so his return seems unlikely. McLemore, 30, is a former No. 7 overall pick who shot 36.9% from beyond the arc from 2015 through the 2022 campaign but is also a one-dimensional player and, therefore, a luxury the Bulls’ can’t afford.
Waiters, 31, would bring a certain level of aggression with the ability to create his own shot and even create for others. He has been out of the league since a seven-game stint with the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 where he was teammates with Alex Caruso.
Lakers Nation: Meet Dion Waiters
Interestingly enough, Waiters also spent three games with the Lakers’ Finals opponent, the Miami Heat, for three games that season.
He averaged 11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 2020.
While he shot just 31.9% from deep on the season, he did shoot 47.1% in his brief time with Miami and shot 35.8% or better from beyond the arc in four of his previous six seasons before that including shooting 39.5% on 4.7 attempts per game in 2016-17.
Waiters was the No. 4 in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers where he spent the first two-plus seasons of his career before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he spent one season under Bulls head coach Billy Donovan in 2015-16. He initially signed with the Heat as a free agent in 2016, spending four seasons in South Beach before Miami traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies who waived him immediately in 2020.
That’s how he found his way to the Lakers and cemented his legacy as a champion.
Harry Giles Could Have ‘Best Chance’ to Stick in NBA
Giles, 25, is the youngest of the four players and the former No. 20 overall pick (2017) by the Portland Trail Blazers could be the most likely candidate to secure an opportunity out of this exhibition.
“Giles may have the best chance at landing an NBA contract coming out of the week,” wrote Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report on July 10. “Once considered a potential All-Star, Giles has seen injuries derail his professional career to the point he’s appeared in just 142 games since being drafted in 2017.
“A new provision in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement will also help Giles potentially land a two-way contract—something he was ineligible for under the previous CBA.”
You can always count on @HGiiizzle to bring the energy!
Harry Giles III Season Mixtape 💿
The 6-foot-11 Giles was the top-ranked player in his high-school class but was hindered by leg injuries even then, an affliction that followed him through his lone season at Duke and two NBA stops.
He began his career with the Sacramento Kings who acquired him in a draft-night trade.
In two seasons with Sacramento, Giles averaged 7.0 points 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists but only made 84 out of a possible 154 appearances. Giles signed back with the Blazers in 2020, averaging 2.8 points and 3.5 boards across 38 appearances, even flashing an ability to knock down the occasional three.
Arturas Karnisovas Vowed to Look at Everything
During his exit interview in April, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas reaffirmed his pledge from the year before “look at everything” when trying to improve the roster.
The Bulls signed guard Jevon Carter and forward Torrey Craig in free agency, filling some significant needs.
Signing either Giles or Waiters would qualify as looking at everything.