Chicago Bulls free agent expected to command $21 million salary

The Athletic’s John Hollinger laid out some of the top free agents on the market as well as their valuation, and Tre Jones ended up being the fifth-best free agent on that list. He’s ahead of Chris Paul, Ty Jerome, Russell Westbrook, and Dennis Schroder.

Hollinger’s BORD$ system predicted that Jones might sign for over $21 million, which would be a little bit surprising given that he averaged less than eight points last season overall. But the underlying evidence suggests he might be worth the investment.

“Jones was really good last season when he got the chance to play, especially after the trade to Chicago. He averaged double-figures as a Bull, with 58-50-88 shooting splits. He had nearly six assists for every turnover! He made an amazing 55.8 percent of his shots from floater range! He’s only 25! Is he actually good?” Hollinger said. This is why, the analyst argued, these valuations are good to go through.

He continued, “Jones might not be a $21 million player, but there’s also a decent chance he’s seriously undervalued in the marketplace. Nobody thinks of him as a starter, and his reluctance to shoot from outside is a clear limitation. However, his defense, ball security and floater game low-key add quite a bit of value to offset his lack of dynamic shot creation. At the very least, he’d be a top-notch backup who would fit in several places.”

It’s unclear where Jones will land next. Maybe it’s with the Chicago Bulls, or maybe not. If the price tag ends up being $21 million, then it probably won’t be the Bulls, who are expected to commit $25 to $30 million to Josh Giddey per year, but might be moving on from virtually everyone else.

But if it’s not, then the Bulls, who have firsthand experience of how good Jones can be, could get involved. There could be value even in signing him to a $15 million deal, so it might be worth it up to a point for Chicago to at least try and sign him.