Point guard DJ Augustin signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bulls on Wednesday after being waived by the Toronto Raptors last week, according to a CSN Chicago report. The six-year veteran is expected to take a physical in Chicago on Thursday and should be available on Saturday when the Bulls, ironically enough, take on the Raptors.
The Bulls have struggled at the lead guard position since Derrick Rose went down, and Augustin could certainly give them a scoring punch at the point. When informed of the team’s latest addition, power forward Taj Gibson was elated.
“DJ Augustin from Texas? He’s a phenomenal guard,” Gibson said. “I remember going against him since I was at USC. We beat them in the [NCAA Tournament]. He was playing with Kevin Durant. He was a great point guard, great scoring point guard at that.”
In Chicago’s last two outings, the combination of Kirk Hinrich and Marquis Teague have combined to shoot 6-35 from the field and scored just 21 points. Augustin, known as a capable shooter, especially from outside, can surely help remedy those issues.
“He’s a good scorer, he just needs an opportunity,” Gibson said. “I think it’ll be a good look for our team because we’re trying to keep guys healthy. Kirk has been playing a lot of minutes. He’s in foul trouble; he’s digging in there, banging with the bigs. I’m just praying that he doesn’t get whacked the way he did last year, but so far, he’s been okay.”
