Chicago Bulls need wing to compliment David Nwaba

If David Nwaba returns to the Chicago Bulls, the team needs another complimentary wing via free agency.

The Chicago Bulls have begun taking their final steps prior to free agency. One of the main boxes checked this week was that of extending a qualifying offer to 25-year-old guard David Nwaba.

Nwaba’s qualifying offer for the 2018-2019 season is set at $1.74 million, per Spotrac. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard provided the Bulls with a good amount of hustle plays down the stretch last year, and he fits perfectly within their rebuild.

One of the better defenders on the team, that’s where Nwaba shined. He offers mainly defensive stability at the position, while giving the Bulls a decent rebounder as well. Offensively, Nwaba won’t jump out at you. He averaged just 7.9 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting; 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.

If the Bulls end up retaining Nwaba, they will need to either go hard after keeping fellow restricted free agent Zach LaVine or find another scoring wing elsewhere.

Currently, Chicago has Denzel Valentine, Justin Holiday and Chandler Hutchison on the roster as their primary wings. Valentine and Holiday could get waived tomorrow and most fans wouldn’t blink an eye, so that gives you an idea of their overall value. Hutchison, meanwhile, should become an important part of the core, but he is also more of a 3-and-D type of player.

The Bulls will be left without a significant scoring option on the wing if they lose out on LaVine. Where do they go from there? That’s a great question. Here is a list of a few (of many) other free agent wings that the Bulls could choose to pursue:

• Jabari Parker
• Tyreke Evans
• Trevor Ariza
• Will Barton
• J.J. Redick
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Next: Bulls: 5 free agents to avoid

Those are just some of the more notable guys. There are plenty of free agents to pick from, but none are as polarizing offensively as LaVine. It might end up the best decision to either make it happen with LaVine, or wait until next summer and see what the draft brings. This upcoming season isn’t likely going to be a winning campaign, so what’s another year of waiting and developing?