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Summary

Valentine missed the entire '18-'19 season due to an ankle injury, and was unable to breakout in a pivotal contract year. Valentine got consistent minutes for the Bulls in the '17-'18 season, as he played in 25.5 minutes per game in 77 games.

 

Valentine shot well from three that season, hitting 40% on nearly five threes per game. However, this past season Valentine only played 14 minutes per game in 32 games, and hit shooting from downtown dropped to 35%. Valentine also has enough skills to create shots in the midrange, and hits jumpers from midrange at a good rate. He also has a nice floater game that he often has to fall back on as he almost never can get all the way to the rim.

 

Valentine is 26 years old, so teams will be skeptical that he has much room for growth.

Cap Considerations

Valentine will be a restricted free agent with a $10.1 million cap hold and a $4.6 million Qualifying Offer. I do not expect the Bulls to tender Valentine a QO, and will instead let him enter unrestricted free agency. If the Bulls operate over the cap next summer (which likely depends on the free agency of Kris Dunn), they will be more likely to keep Valentine's restricted rights, since there will be no opportunity cost in doing so. However, Valentine could except the QO, which would likely be more than his market value.

 

For other teams, the ability to get Valentine will likely depend on if he is a restricted or unrestricted free agent. If he is unrestricted, he'll be available to almost any team, especially considering his salary will likely fit within any of the Mid-Level Exceptions, the Bi-Annual Exception, or possibly even the minimum. If he is restricted, teams will likely hesitate to give Valentine an offer sheet, since anything too far above his market value will be an overpay, and anything near his market value or below will just get matched by Chicago.

Potential Teams: Bulls, Pistons, Thunder, Magic, Wizards

Predicted Contract: 2-year, $9 million with the Bulls.

Actual Contract: 1-year, $4.6 million with the Bulls.

The Bulls surprisingly tendered a qualifying offer to Valentine, who accepted it quickly rather than trying to find more in free agency.

Last updated: 12/31/2020

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