A number of teams in the NBA’s improved Eastern Conference feel they have a real chance of going deep in the playoffs or even competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but the Chicago Bulls are not one of those teams.
They’re heading toward a rebuilding period after letting star forward DeMar DeRozan leave and join the Sacramento Kings and trading defensive ace Alex Caruso for young stud Josh Giddey.
The Bulls are apparently in a situation where they will have to look to develop young prospects such as Giddey, and on Wednesday, they added another one in guard Talen Horton-Tucker, per Shams Charania.
Free agent guard Talen Horton-Tucker has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell @TheAthletic. The Chicago native returns home and will have an opportunity to make Bulls roster after averaging 10.5 points over the last two seasons in Utah. pic.twitter.com/YPoIfrurh7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2024
Horton-Tucker was a second-round draft pick in 2019 after one season of college ball at Iowa State University, and he showed a glimpse of potential in his first couple of pro seasons.
But since then, he has shown little, if any, growth in his overall game despite possessing some interesting raw skills.
At 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds, he can play both guard spots and has shown an ability to seek the basket, get there and score buckets, but his outside shooting and defense need improvement.
In Chicago, Horton-Tucker will compete for playing time in the backcourt with Giddey, Coby White and Zach LaVine once training camp starts.
LaVine, who has made the All-Star team twice, has seen his name come up in many trade rumors over the last couple of years and could be the piece that triggers a full rebuilding process while bringing back some real draft capital.
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