Bulls bring back Tre Jones, sign Emmanuel Miller to two-way deal

Erik Williams - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 5 hours ago

Once free agency officially began, which it did on Monday, many Chicago Bulls fans were wondering in which direction this team would go. After all, they already moved on from Zach Lavine last season and recently traded Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro.

For this team to get back on track and perhaps finally admit that a rebuild is needed, wholesale changes need to happen, and with guys like Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams rumored to be on the trade block, the Bulls could be in for an interesting offseason as they try to figure out what to do as a franchise.

All we know is there is no way this roster can be run back again, despite going 14-6 to close out the season last year and starting to look like a decent team. Waiting to see what the next domino to fall would be, the Bulls front office surprises us again as they prioritize Tre Jones over Josh Giddey.

Yes, you heard that right: the Bulls' first significant free agent signing of the offseason wasn't Giddey, who everyone expected it to be, but instead Jones, who is back on a three-year, $ 24 million dollar deal. This isn't a knock against Jones, who was acquired as part of the Lavine deal, but he doesn't bring near the talent that Giddey does, and should Giddey not be brought back, you are looking at Jones as the potential starting PG next year, along with White.

That won't win you many games, but if Giddey is back and Jones is coming off the bench, then your offense and roster as a whole does look better than where it could be. The former Duke University guard hasn't been a prolific scorer throughout his NBA career and has been viewed as a role player at best.

Since coming into the league in 2020-2021, Jones has bounced around between a starter and a bench player to log 8.4 career points. That included a career-high 12.9 points per game in 65 starts for the Spurs in 2022, followed by 10.0 points per game the following year. This past season was a tale of two seasons for Jones, as he didn't offer much before the trade, but then showed what he could do with the Bulls.

After averaging just 4.4 points in 28 games with the Spurs, Jones started to come into his own again with the Bulls, appearing in 18 games and making nine starts. In those games, you had a player averaging 11.5 PPG, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in his 25.3 minutes per game. Jones also shot a ridiculous 57.2 percent from the field while flashing some strong downhill finishing skills before being sidelined with a foot injury that forced him to miss the final month of the season.

Not only were those numbers good enough for the Bulls, but in his nine starts, the numbers were even better as he averaged 13.3 PPG in those starts while shooting close to 38% from distance. Bringing Jones back isn't the move that many expected this team to make, as he was expected to get better offers on the market.

Getting him back on this team not only gives Chicago a valuable bench piece, but he is also someone who can step in and start if needed, as next season could be a struggle for Chicago.

Along with the signing of Jones came another signing, as Emmanuel Miller and the Bulls agreed to a two-way contract for the upcoming season. Signed mid-season out of TCU, Miller appeared in six games for the Bulls last season, totaling 25 total minutes of game action. His work in the G League, however, is worth noting and a big reason why the Bulls felt he deserved another chance with this team.

In 41 games (34 starts) for the Windy City Bulls, Miller was one of their go-to scoring options, as he finished the campaign with 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks. That type of production is hard to ignore, and his potential alone has the Bulls wondering if he has more to offer. Expect him to get plenty of run in the Summer League this season as he not only aims to show the Bulls made the right decision, but also wants to prove he is more than a two-way guy.