Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
2025 Free Agents - Torrey Craig
After being in the playoff rotation during his days in Denver, Craig contributed to the Suns' 2021 NBA Finals Run, and after signing with the Pacers in the 2021 offseason, he was eventually traded back to Phoenix. He only played in seven of the Suns' 13 playoff games in 2022, and at less than eight minutes per game of non-garbage time, according to Cleaning the Glass. He played a more prominent role in the 2023 playoffs, but still wasn't fully trusted as his minutes decreased compared to the regular season. Thus far in Chicago, he has been in the regular rotation off the bench. Craig's offensive game is surely his biggest question. He doesn't have a tight handle, which hurts his ability to make plays off the catch. He has also never shot above average from three until the past two seasons, where he hit 39%. His finishing at the rim has historically been solid (although below average in '22-'23 and '23-'24), making him a fairly efficient player. Craig is a good defensive player. He has good size and strength, and works hard on that end. He can be disruptive, as his block rate has consistently been well above-average for his position, according to Cleaning the Glass. It seemed like the Suns traded for Craig for the primary purpose of having another big defender to throw on the elite wings in the playoffs, which he did at times in 2023. I think Craig is a solid rotational player on a good team, even if he's not someone you want to give a ton of minutes to, and potentially will be out of the rotation when the games matter the most. Craig will be 34 years old as a free agent in 2025, so I don't expect him to get any significant long-term offers.
Summary
Craig will be an unrestricted free agent with a $2.3 million cap hold and Early Bird rights. The Bulls could offer Craig a starting salary of up to 5% more than the average salary (likely around $13.5 million) using the Early Bird exception, which should be more than enough should they wish to bring him back. Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Craig as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. It's also possible that he only gets minimum offers, and he may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.
Cap Considerations
Anthony Gill (2-1 year minimum, 2024) Jalen McDaniels (2 years, $9 million, 2023) Keita Bates-Diop (1+1 year minimum, 2023)