Bulls Could Lose Top Free Agent Following Lonzo Ball Extension

Tre Jones has impressed since joining the Chicago Bulls at the Feb. 6 trade deadline.  The 25-year-old guard averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 18 games with the Bulls before injury cut his season short.

Given his impressive production, the Bulls have a difficult decision to make. Jones is heading into unrestricted free agency this summer. Chicago can either let him walk, or they could look to re-sign him to a new contract.

According to “Pat The Designer” of Locked on Bulls, Chicago’s decision to sign Lonzo Ball to a two-year contract extension earlier this season likely means Jones’ tenure with the Bulls is over.

“I would love to have Tre Jones on this team,” Pat said. “I think he is literally the piece that you want to have if you’re the Chicago Bulls. But, instead, you decided to re-sign Lonzo Ball for $10 million for 35 games. That’s the Tre Jones spot to me…It just doesn’t make sense to bring him back. Unless you’re just going to say ‘we expect Lonzo to be out.’ But, then it’s like ‘you shouldn’t have paid Lonzo.'”

Jones’ skill set would be ideal for Billy Donovan’s second unit. He would provide scoring, playmaking and some tertiary rebounding while playing at either guard position. Furthermore, Jones is young enough to be part of the team’s rebuild and emerge as a key piece in the rotation.

Donovan Was Impressed by Jones

During a March 8 news conference, Donovan praised Jones for the impact he’s made since joining the roster.

“He’s got something, he’s got the IT factor to me,” Donovan said. “He really does. He’s just a winner. You can look at size and length for position and he probably doesn’t have any of those things. But he has really good speed, he’s really tough, he’s got a high IQ, he understands competition. He can really stay in the moment and compete. The last two games on the road he’s been great. He’s got a lot of substance, a lot of competitive character to him.”

Due to his success on the court and the fact that Donovan was getting the best out of him, the Bulls may explore ways to keep Jones beyond this season. However, that would mean they have a surplus of guards.

Keeping Jones is a Big Picture Issues for Bulls

According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, whatever the Bulls decide to do with Jones’ free agency will be directly linked to the team’s big picture.

“For Jones, this is his type of team and offense. Coming over from San Antonio, they played fast, but it wasn’t exactly smash the turbo button on the controller like it is for the Bulls. This is a style of basketball he’s played his whole life,” Cowley wrote on March 18.  “But for how long? That’s suddenly a big-picture concern that the organization has to start adding to a long list of concerns beyond this season.”

Cowley continued.

“The other question would be how would the Bulls squeeze Jones in and stay under the cap? Wanting to keep him and able to keep him could become two very different scenarios.”

Chicago’s decision on whether to re-sign Jones will undoubtedly be secondary to re-signing Josh Giddey. However, Jones has proven the value he brings to the Bulls’ bench rotation. As such, he will likely be the second item on the Bulls’ decision-making process once the postseason begins. Unfortunately, that decision may see him sign elsewhere in the NBA, as the front office is forced to make some tough decisions.