Justin Holiday, Bulls Reportedly Agree to 2-Year, $9 Million Contract

The Chicago Bulls and guard Justin Holiday reportedly agreed to a two-year, $9 million contract Sunday, per Shams Charania of The Vertical. 

Holiday, 28, spent last season with the New York Knicks. He averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor (35.5 percent from three) and playing in all 82 games. No other Knick appeared in every contest.

The Knicks had an option to keep him but "never made a competitive offer," per Ian Begley of ESPN.

Jason Patt of FanRag Sports expressed his surprise by this move:

An undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2011, Holiday previously played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Bulls. Having scrapped to stick with teams before last season, Holiday had multiple teams reaching out as they looked for a bench player who could stretch the floor.

"It's the next thing to figure out," Holiday told Marc Berman of the New York Post of his new standing in league. "It's going to be exciting—hopefully not too stressful. I've never been in this position before. Shoot, having multiple teams might wanting me is a first. I'll consider all the options, hopefully take my time and make the right decision."

Holiday isn't ever going to develop into a star, but he's a fine bench cog to have as an eighth or ninth man. He stretches the floor well enough that defenses respect him, plays solid perimeter defense and isn't coming at a major cost.

The Knicks were 5.9 points better per 100 possessions defensively with Holiday on the floor last season, per Basketball Reference. Lineup stats are noisy and the Knicks' starting lineup was a bit of a mess defensively, but the Bulls can slot Holiday in as a backup at the 2 and should feel fine about him on both ends. 

This marks a return to Chicago for Holiday, who emerged as a viable bench cog for the Bulls during a portion of the 2015-16 season. He'll likely have a much bigger role this time around with the Bulls undergoing a massive rebuild following the trade of Jimmy Butler.