Bulls sign local product DJ Steward to two-way deal |
Although the Summer League portion of the NBA offseason may be over, that doesn't stop teams from making moves ahead of training camp as they try to round out their roster. One of the big benefits of the Summer League is that it gives several unsigned players a chance to earn a contract with the team they are playing for or another NBA organization.
You saw that last season with Javon Freeman-Liberty, as his strong summer play earned him a contract with the Toronto Raptors. The year before that, Carlik Jones showed up before he latched on with the Windy City Bulls and went on to put forth a dominating G-League season. This season saw another player prove his worth, as DJ Steward and the Bulls have agreed on a two-way deal with Steward for the 2024-25 season. As an undrafted free agent from Duke University in 2021, Steward has bounced around since becoming a pro and has yet to find a long-term home. This story has the feeling of a feel-good one as Steward is a Chicago native who grew up in Chicago before leaving for Duke. Steward put up solid numbers during his one season at Duke as he averaged 13 PPG and dished out close to four APG. Despite that, teams weren't that interested in him come draft night, and he went undrafted, thus leaving the door open for him to sign with whatever organization he saw fit. He elected to sign with the Sacramento Kings organization before playing for the Boston Celtics last season, where he put up solid G-League numbers. In two seasons with the Stockton Kings, Steward was a massive part of the team's success. He averaged 13.3 PPG in 25 minutes while also dishing out 4.0 APG and 4.1 RPG. He did that while shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.7% from distance, continuing to show plenty of NBA-level talent. Following his run with the Kings, Steward signed with the Maine Celtics and became one of the better players in the G-League. Across his 32 games last season, Steward put up a career-best 19.3 PPG while also playing in a career-high 30 minutes. His shooting percentage increased to 47.8%, and his three-point percentage was still a very good 35.7%. Usually, those numbers would be good enough to earn you an NBA contract, but with the Celtics being as loaded as they have been top to bottom, Steward was once again left without an NBA job and was searching for an opportunity. That opportunity came with the Bulls as he signed a contract to play on their summer League roster. Not only did that work out for the Bulls, but it also worked out in Steward's favor. He played a massive role on the team all summer and looked as good as ever. Not only did he lead the team with 19.3 PPG this summer, but he was about as consistent as anyone, dishing out better than 6 APG to go with those points. That included his coming out party against the Hawks on Friday when he knocked down 11 shots and six triples en route to a game-high 37 points. Steward also knocked down a game-winning runner in OT during that game, as that was the game that essentially earned him a two-way contract. Given his consistent play in the G-League, especially last season, it was surprising to see him left unsigned at the end of the year, but that benefited the Bulls, as they now have him in their organization. While this may be a familiar spot for Steward, this could be the best thing that has happened to him in his career, as he has a chance to crack a rotation for the first time in his professional career. Whenever you go to a rebuilding roster, there is always a chance that you will earn minutes, and Steward will be one of those guys, along with Adama Sanogo, looking to earn NBA minutes this season. If he does crack the rotation, it's unclear what value he can bring to this team, but you can, at the very least, expect him to provide consistent minutes and shooting off the bench, which this team has lacked in recent years.
