A key Chicago free agent next summer believes his impact on the hardwood extends beyond his stats.
2026 Bulls free agent confident in impact 'beyond the numbers' originally appeared on The Sporting News
Chicago Bulls shooting guard Kevin Huerter is looking to continue burnishing his standing on his newest team.
Huerter, 26, was a salary-matching addition from the Sacramento Kings in a three-team 2025 trade deadline deal with Chicago and the San Antonio Spurs. The two key pieces were former two-time Chicago shooting guard Zach LaVine, who landed in Sacramento, and All-Star former Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox, who was moved to San Antonio. Chicago also brought in point guard Tre Jones, center Zach Collins and a 2025 second-rounder.
The 6-foot-7 swingman out of Maryland is on an expiring $18 million deal this season, and will look to play his way into comparable long-term money.
An Instant Hit in Chicago
Upon being traded to the Bulls midseason, Huerter enjoyed a far more prominent role as a floor-spacing release valve than he had with Sacramento. He averaged 13.2 points on .439/.376/.714 shooting splits, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per bout in 30.0 minutes, a massive uptick from his output across 20.9 minutes in Sacramento.
During a conversation with Will Gottlieb of CHGO Sports, Huerter unpacked how his influence on opposing defensive coverages — and, thus, his own team's offense — extends beyond his own box score.
Kevin Huerter talked to @Will_Gottlieb about his time coaching Basketball Without Borders, his success in Chicago, looking ahead to next season and more! 👇📲https://t.co/VJZTfVmbuc
— CHGO Bulls (@CHGO_Bulls) August 18, 2025
"Whether I'm making or missing shots, the offensive effect I can have on the rest of everybody on the court sometimes goes beyond the numbers," Huerter told Gottlieb.
The Bulls, much like the Kings, have been completely irrelevant for most of the last decade. Chicago has made the playoffs just once since trading future Hall of Fame wing Jimmy Butler in his prime circa 2017, while the Kings have advanced that far just once since 2006.
MORE NEWS:Bulls would have won '3 or 4' titles with healthy Derrick Rose, says star
So Huerter hopping from one perennial play-in tournament contender to another one ultimately has little impact on the actual basketball world, even if he creates gravity for his teammates in either scenario.
Huerter should be playing for his next contract, with another team, this season. Whatever Chicago pays him in free agency, it won't be enough to wallow away the rest of his prime on a team that's too underwhelming to even qualify for the playoffs in the NBA's junior varsity conference.
MORE NEWS:Insider roasts Bulls after NBA national broadcast schedule drop
Category: Basketball
