Bulls’ David Nwaba hires agent to prepare for restricted free agency: report

Bulls swingman David Nwaba signed agent Charles Briscoe to represent him in restricted free agency this offseason, according to Yahoo! Sports. The 25-year-old is coming off a strong season in Chicago and should be coveted by other teams armed with offer sheets.

Other players signed with Briscoe include teammate Justin Holiday and former Suns guard Archie Goodwin, per Real GM. The Bulls will have “first right to refusal” on any offer sheet that Nwaba signs.

Nwaba, who went undrafted after playing at Cal Poly, has proven to be a high energy player with athleticism and solid skills in his first two NBA seasons. He spent his first season bouncing between the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, but showed enough flashes for the Bulls to claim him off waivers in July 2017.

The move proved to be a good one for both Nwaba and the Bulls, who used him both off the bench and in the starting lineup. He averaged 7.9 points on 47.8 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 70 games. By the end of the season, he had established himself as a key cog in Fred Hoiberg’s rotation.

Restricted free agency represents a chance for Nwaba to finally get a payday in the NBA. He earned roughly $1.3 million last season on his one-year deal with the Bulls. In May, the Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley wrote that the team needed to “sign the man” after his breakout sophomore season.

“Nwaba showed physicality on defense, at times guarding players five and six inches taller than him, and he has a run-out game perfect for coach Fred Hoiberg’s offense,” Cowley said. “He’s a great spark off the bench.”

NBA restricted free agents can begin signing offer sheets when the new league year begins on July 1. The two-day period for matching offer sheets doesn’t begin until July 6 when the moratorium ends, which is the same day that unrestricted free agents can begin signing contracts.