Are the Chicago Bulls playing hardball with David Nwaba?

Last summer, the Bulls signed guard David Nwaba to a one-year deal. Now, as a restricted free-agent, reports are circulating that Nwaba may be on his way out of Chicago.

It’s been a mostly quiet free agent period so far for the Chicago Bulls. The rest of the league is still recovering from LeBron James agreeing to join the Los Angeles Lakers and DeMarcus Cousins shockingly agreeing with Golden State.

While there hasn’t been much buzz surrounding the Bulls, rumor has it they may be starting next season without restricted free agent David Nwaba. Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Bulls and Nwaba are at a “stalemate.”

While he isn’t an established star, Nwaba endeared himself to Bulls fans with his gritty play. An “energy guy,” Nwaba was a key contributor off the bench for Chicago, averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 70 appearances, including 21 starts.

It’s not surprising that Nwaba finds himself in this position with the Bulls. After being one of John Paxson‘s better finds last season, the Bulls are now supposedly playing hardball with the free agent. While they can match any offer Nwaba receives, it’s more likely they want to see what offers Nwaba can even get on the open market.

It’ll be interesting to see what type of market David Nwaba generates. Last season, he played on a one-year, $1.3 million deal. If he plays this season for the qualifying offer the Bulls tended him, he’ll make $1.7 million. There’s been limited movement for players with a stat line like his.

Doug McDermott received a three-year, $22 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, while Elfrid Payton agreed to $2.7 million for one year. My guess is Nwaba fits in at around $2.5-3 million on a two-year deal. It’s hard to see him getting much more than that with so few teams having room under the cap.

With that being said, Nwaba could work out a sign-and-trade if he gets a higher offer. If that happens, the Bulls should oblige. With possible space for two max contracts next summer, cap space has more value at this point.

The Bulls have a track record of this kind of patient approach. Just last summer, when Nikola Mirotic was unable to find any suitable offers on the open market, he was brought back into the fold. It’s just what they do, and it’s not necessarily bad business either. We see teams negotiate against themselves all the time and the Bulls clearly do not want to pay more than they have to.

With all this said, I expect to see Nwaba back next season.

It’s hard to imagine Paxson letting Nwaba walk this offseason. After playing for the Lakers’ NBA Summer League team last year, Nwaba looked at home in Chicago. Personally, I’d love to see him back. He’s the type of player that fits in Chicago. He’ll outwork his opponent and never takes plays off. He should come relatively inexpensive, even on a one-year deal.

While Nwaba has limitations to his game (he’s not much of a shooter), he’s a tough defender and rebounder. At 6’4″, Nwaba averaged nearly five rebounds in 23 minutes a game last year. That’s an incredible number and that effort is well received in Chicago.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

I’d be surprised if Nwaba finds himself anywhere but in the Windy City next season. Unless the Bulls and Nwaba work out a sign-and-trade, fans should be excited for more Nwaba highlights.