The point guard position was an adventure for the Chicago Bulls this season. Former top-five pick Kris Dunn struggled to stay on the floor, appearing in only 46 games, and he wasn’t an overwhelmingly positive presence when he was deployed. After that, the Bulls used players like Walt Lemon, Shaq Harrison and Cameron Payne for significant minutes and, in short, that isn’t a recipe for present-day NBA success. As such, the Bulls could target their point guard of the future in the 2019 NBA Draft by selecting a player like Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland or North Carolina’s Coby White, but Chicago could also look to the free agent market for their next lead guard.
Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic brings word that, in addition to rumblings surrounding Chicago native Patrick Beverley potentially being an intriguing fit, Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier could be an option on the free agent market. Mayberry indicates that Rozier “is on the Bulls’ radar” for the summer and he indicates that the 25-year-old is “commanding Chicago’s attention with fearless play and hard-nosed defensive effort.” Beyond that, the report shares that “there is genuine belief that Rozier could be exactly who the team needs” at this stage, adding potential fuel to the fire.
In some ways, it would make sense for Rozier to land in Chicago, as the Bulls have an offense-first guard in Zach LaVine and could use an infusion of defensive talent and (relative) youth. However, Rozier struggled mightily at times during the 2018-19 season, shooting just 38.7 percent from the floor and giving back the perceived gains of his encouraging 2018 playoff run with Kyrie Irving on the shelf. For good measure, Rozier hasn’t been shy about questioning his role in Boston and there might be a concern about his ability to coalesce, particularly on the offensive end.
Aside from that postseason performance, Rozier’s career numbers (headlined by a 49.2 percent true shooting) aren’t overly impressive and he isn’t that young. An NBA team will likely throw a substantial offer in his direction in restricted free agency, though, and the Celtics will have an interesting decision as to whether they should match it, given his apparent disinterest in returning, whether Chicago is involved or not.
