NBA Free Agency: David Nwaba could offer Bucks elite backcourt defense at low cost
By Adam McGee
Salary
The challenge here is that Nwaba is a restricted free agent, and the Bulls, without a whole lot else to shout about on their roster, will have the option to retain the 25-year-old by matching any offer he receives.
Nwaba is certainly the kind of player whose incredible value disappears rapidly if you cross over into the territory of paying him too much, as in that situation the price dictates the expectation of his game — particularly his shooting — rather than the player’s track record and ability.
That likely opens up the possibility of a team being able to pry him away from the Bulls, but the question is whether the price that Chicago will choose not to cross still allows a team from elsewhere in the NBA to feel like they’re getting value in signing Nwaba.
Having earned a total of $1.5 million through his two seasons in the NBA, it seems like a lock for Nwaba to be in for a pay rise.
The bi-annual exception would seem like a fair price for Nwaba’s services and would still make signing him incredibly worthwhile, yet considering the Bulls are one of the few teams in the NBA with cap space, he may fetch more than that.
Of course, there’s a chance that teams feel the situation plays into Chicago’s hands to such an extent that they effectively focus on other targets and the offer sheets fail to materialize for Nwaba.
That may be the dream for the Bulls and the most realistic path to them re-signing Nwaba at an exceptionally low cost, and for that reason, any team with interest in Nwaba needs to put an offer sheet on the table. Even if it’s a modest offer, you never know what inexplicable decision the Bulls could make next.