It’s only a week into NBA free agency and the market is already considerably thinner.
The big guns – Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith and Al Jefferson – have all signed on the dotted line. Players who were much closer to the Bulls radar, such as O.J. Mayo, J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver have also signed lucrative long-term deals. Now that the dominoes have fallen it’s a more appropriate time to analyze the Bulls only meaningful signing so far this offseason; Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Dunleavy’s two-year, $6 million deal looked like it would have bang-for-buck potential at first glance and a week later that thinking hasn’t changed. Actually, Dunleavy’s contract is dwarfed by some recent signings. Just look at Dunleavy’s numbers compared to other shooters who have also signed deals.
Top Shooting Free Agents
|
Player |
AAS |
PPP rank |
Spot-up rank |
3-point % |
PER |
|
Mike Dunleavy |
$3 mil. |
34 |
27 |
42.8 |
13.64 |
|
O.J. Mayo |
$8 mil. |
156 |
78 |
40.7 |
14 |
|
J.J. Redick |
$6.75 mil. |
56 |
14 |
36.6 |
14.74 |
|
Dorell Wright |
$3 mil. |
74 |
71 |
37.4 |
16.07 |
|
Kyle Korver |
$6 mil. |
6 |
5 |
45.7 |
13.93 |
|
Marco Belinelli |
$3 mil. |
208 |
84 |
35.7 |
10.43 |
|
Carlos Delfino |
$3.25 mil. |
74 |
56 |
37.7 |
13.39 |
|
Chris Copeland |
$3 mil. |
30 |
27 |
42.1 |
16.89 |
AAS: Average Annual Salary
PPP: Points per play
Spot-up: Points per play in spot-up situations
Even though Dunleavy is tied with Wright, Copeland and Belinelli as the cheapest players on this list, he’s still among the best shooters in the group. Only Copeland and Korver had better points per play than Dunleavy and he was also tied for second in spot-up points per play and second in 3-point percentage (where he ranked eighth in the league). Although Redick’s 3-point percentage was only 36.6 last season, he earned a healthy four-year, $27 million deal with the Clippers (he’ll make more next year than Dunleavy will make in the next two seasons). Mayo and his middling 156th ranked PPP earned him a whopping three-year, $24 million contract with the Bucks. So yeah, Dunleavy’s deal is looking like a steal compared to other shooters on the market. Of course shooting isn’t everything, so let’s see how Dunleavy fairs in other aspects of the game…
Areas Outside of Shooting
|
Player |
AAS |
Opp. PPP rank |
Opp. PER |
FG% at rim |
DEF |
|
Mike Dunleavy |
$3 mil. |
226 |
10.3 |
69.7 |
1.39 |
|
O.J. Mayo |
$8 mil. |
307 |
14.9 |
61.8 |
1.58 |
|
J.J. Redick |
$6.75 mil. |
256 |
12.6 |
71.1 |
0.98 |
|
Dorell Wright |
$3 mil. |
342 |
14.2 |
62.4 |
1.29 |
|
Kyle Korver |
$6 mil. |
119 |
11.7 |
54.2 |
1.53 |
|
Marco Belinelli |
$3 mil. |
169 |
12.3 |
53.5 |
0.88 |
|
Carlos Delfino |
$3.25 mil. |
380 |
14.1 |
67.1 |
1.16 |
|
Chris Copeland |
$3 mil. |
366 |
16.3 |
69 |
0.64 |
DEF: Steals, blocks and charges per game
PER: Player Efficiency Rating
No one on this list exactly thrives in these categories, but luckily they’re paid to shoot. Nonetheless, Dunleavy leads the group in opponents PER (where he ranked sixth in the NBA), ranks second in field goal percentage at the rim and third in defensive plays per game. Dunleavy actually ranked sixth in the league in charges drawn per game at 0.39 (min. of 40 GP). Dunleavy’s 226th ranked opponent’s points per play is disappointing, but only Korver and Belinelli rank higher on this list. The Bulls got Dunleavy for his shooting, but he provides plenty in other areas of the game compared to your average sniper.
Kyle Korver he’s not, but at half the price Dunleavy is probably the better fit for the cost-conscious Bulls. A lot of Bulls fans preferred the return of Belinelli over Dunleavy, but the Duke alum is better in every statistic I listed except for opponent’s PPP. Copeland and Wright signed for the same years and amount as Dunleavy and also boast solid numbers, but they don’t have near the track record of the 11-year vet.
If Dunleavy ends up as Chicago’s biggest move this offseason that will be viewed as a disappointment for a contending team, but at least the Bulls made the right choice among the available free agent shooters.
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