Chicago Bulls ‘finalizing’ deal with Aaron Brooks
The Chicago Bulls are in the process of “finalizing” a deal with free agent point guard Aaron Brooks, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Terms of the contract haven’t been released yet, but it’s likely going to be a one-year pact for something around the veteran’s minimum.
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Brooks has been rumored as a possible target for Chicago the past few days after the team filled out its frontcourt by adding Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. A score-first point guard who can put the ball on the floor and create some offense, Brooks gives the Bulls a different dynamic off the bench.
Last season, Brooks split 72 games between the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, averaging nine points and 3.2 assists per game. He hasn’t spent a full season with a single team since 2009-10, when he broke out for the Rockets and won the league’s Most Improved Player award after averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists over 82 games.
The 29-year-old has struggled to replicate that performance in the three years since, but remains a solid offensive-minded guard who can initiate some offense and shoot from the perimeter. Brooks has hit 37 percent of his three-point attempts during his six-year career, and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc last season.
Brooks also becomes the latest in a long line of point guards to seek a mid-career renaissance under Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
Over the past few years, C.J. Watson, Nate Robinson, John Lucas III and D.J. Augustin have all had relatively strong seasons under Thibs, and Brooks is likely aiming to continue that trend in 2014-15.