The Chicago Bulls have found a replacement for Andre Drummond right away, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reporting that the Bulls have secured the commitment of free agent big man Jalen Smith.
“Free agent center Jalen Smith has agreed on a three-year, $27 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN. Smith’s agents at @KlutchSports reached deal with Bulls front office overnight.”
It can be recalled that Smith had a chance to stay with the Indiana Pacers for the 2024-25 NBA season but he ultimately decided to not pick up his option for that campaign worth $9.58 million. Well, he nearly tripled that money with his deal in Chicago, where he will likely serve a familiar role as a backup center.
Smith, who most recently played for the Indiana Pacers, averaged 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game in the 2023-24 NBA season while shooting 59.2 percent from the field through 61 games. He only started in 14 games last season and in just 54 overall in his career in the NBA which started when he was taken by the Phoenix Suns 10th overall in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Bulls just lost their chief backup big man behind Nikola Vucevic when Drummond opted to reunite with the Philadelphia 76ers. Drummond was a solid backup last season for the Bulls and even shined in the several games that he was called on to start when Vucevic dealt with an injury. It remains to be seen whether Smith could match or surpass what Drummond brought to the table for Chicago last season, but the Bulls will just hope that he does. One thing he likely will do better in Windy City than Drummond is to space the floor and knock down some shots from behind the arc. He is a career 33,5 3-point shooter in the NBA, and just last season, he shot a career-best 42.4 percent from behind the 3-point line, making a triple per 2.4 tries per outing.
Despite the Pacers reaching the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals where they got swept in four games by the Boston Celtics, Smith was only able to play a total of seven games in the playoffs, averaging just 1.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.1 blocks in a mere 6.0 minutes per game.
With Vucevic still in Windy City, it's unlikely for Smith to see a dramatic change in his role on the floor. He will be a backup for Vucevic, though, there's a chance for him to earn bigger minutes than he used to in Indiana, given the lack of relative competition in the frontcourt behind the 33-year-old Montenegrin.
Social media reacts to Jalen Smith agreeing to a contract with the Bulls
Fans have mixed reactions to Wojnarowski's breaking news about Smith agreeing to a deal with the Bulls.
“$27m for Smith that’s too much”
“Bro he’d be perfect on a contender why are the Bulls taking him smdhhh”
“Big loss for Indy”
“Solid signing for the Bulls. Demar is for sure gone then”
“What are the bulls doing they’re supposed to be rebuilding not signing”
“I mean ig, whatever makes Vooch leave this team quicker😭”
“Jalen Smith remains in the Central Division. Enjoyed his time with the Pacers, likely finds an expanded role on what seems to be the beginning of a Bills rebuild”
“great signing for Chicago. their team is a lot more intriguing this year.”
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