Chicago Bulls filling in their roster with two young free agents
By Ryan Heckman
The final roster for camp is almost set as the Chicago Bulls add two more youngsters.
Just days away is the start to NBA training camps, and the Chicago Bulls are almost ready. The league will begin training camps on Tuesday December 1 and Chicago has plenty of reason to be excited.
No, the Bulls did not go out and make any big splashes in free agency this offseason. Instead, they took the wise route and kept their core group together so that new head coach Billy Donovan could better gauge where the team is at.
The Bulls already exercised the option of Denzel Valentine while allowing Kris Dunn to leave. Chicago also signed veteran wing Garrett Temple to a $5 million deal for the upcoming season, simply to give them some more depth.
One of the more intriguing signings following those moves was the move to ink undrafted guard Devon Dotson to a two-way contract. The former Kansas product was a low-risk flier of a signing for Chicago, who is likely looking at which young players they want to keep around going forward into the coming years.
This week, the Bulls also made a couple more signings official. First, they signed a familiar face in forward Noah Vonleh, who played for Chicago back in the 2017-2018 season before continuing on to the New York Knicks.
Last year, Vonleh played for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. But, the year prior with the Knicks, Vonleh produced career numbers as he averaged 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Still just 25 years old, Vonleh is looking to find a bit more of a permanent home at this stage. He hasn’t spent more than two seasons with a team in his six years in the league.
Secondly, Chicago signed 22-year old shooting guard Zach Norvell to an unofficial contract. The 6-foot-5 wing is a Gonzaga product and spent his high school days at an all-familiar place, Simeon Academy in Chicago. Norvell was actually born in Chicago, so it’ll be nice for the young man to come home.
Last year, his only year in the league, he spent some time with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, appearing in just five games total. His final year at Gonzaga, Norvell averaged 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting the three ball at a 37 percent clip.
The Bulls now have 19 players on their roster and room for just one more player before they enter camp on the 1st. It sounds weird, but the season will officially kick off on December 22nd while tentatively running through mid-May.
Donovan has plenty of youth to work with on this Bulls roster, and fans should be excited to see what’s in store for this group.