The Chicago Bulls had a mountain of uncertainties at the point guard spot heading into 2024-25. Josh Giddey landed in The Windy City in a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were glad to be rid of him. Lonzo Ball was expected to play some kind of role, but having missed the last three seasons, even the most hopeful members of the organization had no idea what to expect.
Coby White could take on lead guard duties when necessary, but he’s better suited as a scorer than a floor general. Ditto for Zach LaVine.
Giddey’s star turn—the 22-year-old is averaging 23.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists on 54/52/87 shooting splits since the All-Star break—is surely a surprise, but who knew a career backup would suddenly become perhaps the Bulls’ most indispensable player at the position?
Tre Jones free agency looms large for Bulls this summer
Acquired as an assumed throw-in piece of the trade that sent LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, Tre Jones has entrenched himself in head coach Billy Donovan’s rotation, if not the starting lineup. In 17 games since joining the Bulls, Jones is averaging 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists while playing nearly 25 minutes per game.
In his last eight, all starts, he’s scoring 14.9 ppg while adding 4.9 rpg and 7.1 apg.
His production is already a catch-22 for the Bulls, though, because the 25-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Immediately after the LaVine trade, it seemed like Jones was simply an expiring salary that would give the franchise more cap space to make moves like re-signing Giddey or extending White.
The Bulls will likely hand Giddey a massive deal this offseason, and Ball is under contract for two more at $10 million per year (though the second year is a team option that could either be turned down or used as a trade piece). Ayo Dosunmu will return healthy next year as well.
Chicago had a crowded backcourt before this season began and with Jones’ emergence as a high-leverage reserve or occasional starter, it becomes even more muddled. Unless a team offers him a wild sum in free agency, though (which isn’t super likely), the Bulls will have to make room for him.
