Chicago Bulls: Dreaming of 5 miracle free agents

Paul George

2018 Free Agency Status: Player Option

2017-2018 Highlights: 21.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 40.1 PCT from beyond the arc

Paul George could be my favorite player on this list — yes, even over the King. Why?

It’s simple:He’s only 28 years old. He is still someone you can build around for years to come. He brings a defensive intensity that is rarely matched. Since coming back from his gruesome injury three years ago, he’s been arguably even better than he was before.

He’s still one of the top defenders in the entire game, which is something that I would love to see rub off on the young guys like LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis.

Speaking of the King — who we’ll get to later — George is one of maybe four players in the game who can go toe-to-toe with him defensively. The Bulls need that lock-down defender if they are going to be competitive in the near future. It’s not LaVine, nor is it anybody else on the roster — and that’s not knocking any of them. It’s just the way it is.

George is also still a relatively dependable scorer. He’s almost as good from three-point range as he is from the field overall, which is pretty impressive. George is a guy who can attack the basket and finish against just about anybody. That’s something I want on my team.

Most importantly, the question will be: Does George opt-out? Does he stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder? That team is a pretty interesting topic lately, as some reports have the Thunder getting rid of Russell Westbrook for certain reasons — that would be pretty dumb, the way I see it.

But, depending on what happens with the Thunder, what will George decide to do? Like Cousins, George would be “the man” in a big market — how attractive is that to him as opposed to joining a more competitive team? I think we know the likely answer, but hey, this is all hypothetical anyway.