Bulls Announce Signings Of Hinrich, Bairstow
(CBS) The Bulls have officially re-signed guard Kirk Hinrich and signed second-round draft pick Cameron Bairstow, they announced Monday.
The 33-year-old Hinrich has spent nine of his 11 seasons in the NBA with the Bulls, and he averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 assists last season as he was thrust into a starting role following a season-ending injury to Derrick Rose. This season, Hinrich is set to come off the bench to provide backcourt depth.
It was previously reported that Hinrich agreed to a two-year deal with Chicago, which is using the room exception to sign him. That starts at $2.7 million for next season.
"Kirk has always been a big part of creating the professional culture we want day in, day out surrounding our club," Bulls general manager Gar Forman said. "He helps our team in so many ways and Kirk had other opportunities elsewhere, but we are very happy he chose to remain in a Bulls uniform."
A 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward from Australia, Bairstow was selected with the 49th overall pick in June's draft after a senior season at New Mexico in which he averaged 20.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. He averaged 10.2 points in five Summer League games in Las Vegas for Chicago.
"We like Cameron's combination as a player with his size, energy and physicality," Forman said. "He is a hard worker who will only get better with time."
Chicago hasn't yet signed first-round draft pick Doug McDermott. His rookie contract slot value is about $1.89 million, and first-round selections can sign for anywhere from 80 percent to 120 percent of their slotted number.
