NEWSLETTER
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Chicago Bulls forward Al-Farouq Aminu will exercise his $10.2 million option for next season, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Chicago Bulls forward Al-Farouq Aminu plans to exercise the $10.2M player option on his contract for next season, sources tell ESPN. Aminu will return to the Bulls in 2021-2022 after arriving with Nikola Vucevic in the deadline deal with Orlando.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 18, 2021
Framed as strong likelihood since his acquisition, can confirm that Al-Farouq Aminu will pick up his $10.2M player option for 2021-22. First with development: @wojespn.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) May 18, 2021
While Aminu, 30, may have once been able to meet that price tag in free agency, his recent injury issues have taken that opportunity off the table. After signing a three-year $29.2 million contract in 2019-20 and playing just 18 games, Aminu suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. The veteran missed the remainder of the season before eventually making his return with Orlando on February 9th of this season.
Aminu went on to appear in 17 games for the Magic this season, starting 14. However, he struggled to find his footing behind just 5.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
Once Aminu came to Chicago in the Vucevic deal, he only played in five of a possible 29 games. The decision came as a bit of a surprise considering the high likelihood of his return next season. The question now is whether or not that was actually done as a cautious approach with next season in mind or because the Bulls have little interest in his rotational fit. The organization could always choose to waive Aminu to create more cap space this offseason and stretch out his final payment over the next couple of seasons.
On the other hand, Aminu is still just 30-years-old with 11 years of NBA experience under his belt. He has started 445 of his 711 career games and has appeared in 40 playoff games. The guy has been a mainstay in the league because of his high basketball IQ and skills on the defensive end. As the Bulls look to take the next step in 2021-22, I don’t think it necessarily hurts them to have Aminu around. If he can finally reach full health, there is a world where he plays a solid role off the bench next season.
