Chicago Bulls: Grading significant offseason moves thus far

With most of the Chicago Bulls offseason completed, most of the current players on the roster will remain before the season begins.

Key Chicago Bulls Additions: Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky, Ryan Arcidiacono, Luke Kornet, Coby White and Daniel Gafford.

Key Departures: Robin Lopez

Before continuing, the departure list will most likely expand as the Chicago Bulls already have 15 filled roster spots. This most likely means that Shaquille Harrison, Antonio Blakeney, and/or Kris Dunn will either be released or traded soon.

I am 50/50 on the moves the Chicago Bulls did this past offseason. They were able to add some young talent that can help the Bulls while they continue to rebuild, but they also made some questionable signings.

I loved the Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono deals but not the Thaddeus Young and Luke Kornet deals. Satoransky is what you want from a point guard. He doesn’t turnover the ball much and is very capable of running an offense. He’s a great fit for the Bulls as he can either start or be the 6th man, depending on when head coach Jim Boylen wants to give the keys to White. For only $10 million a year for a 27 year old who is still improving, the Bulls got a key piece for their rotation.

Arcidiacono is the heart of the Bulls. An undrafted free agent last year, he came in and immediately became a leader for the young team and for $3 million a year, it was a good investment for the Bulls to keep him. He can play spot minutes at either guard position, providing hustle and energy off the bench.

Now to go on to what I didn’t like about the Bulls offseason, which was the signing of Thaddeus Young and Luke Kornet. Don’t get me wrong, they are solid players, but I don’t understand their fit on this current Bulls roster and I believe that money could have been used on other free agents that may have benefited the Bulls more.

First, going to Thaddeus Young, he was a key piece for the Indiana Pacers. He was an athletic stretch forward who spaced the floor for Victor Oladipo. I assume that the front office envisioned Young to be that same player for Zach LaVine and Coby White, but I don’t know if will work as well as it did in Indiana.

Young hasn’t been showing signs of regression but playing in a back up role behind Lauri Markkanen, you can’t expect Young to have the same production as he did in prior years. When I first heard of this signing, I thought of Tyreke Evans and how his season in Memphis compared the one in Indiana. With less shot opportunities and usage, Evans showed clear regression.

Maybe Young could prove me wrong and thrive off the bench, but paying 41 million for him over the next 3 years doesn’t seem like a great investment. It would have been better to use that money and spend it on either 1 or 1+1 deals on veterans such as Richaun Holmes or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who are younger and cheaper versions of Young and are more accustomed to bench roles.

Regarding the Kornet deal, I’m not opposed to it more than I thought that the Bulls needed another veteran. The Bulls already have a lot of young players that need minutes and Kornet is taking a roster spot from an older veteran who could help mentor the young forwards . Maybe players like Pau Gasol or Tyson Chandler would have been better options at that 15th spot than Kornet.

Draft Grade: B

Free Agency Grade: C

Offseason grade: C+

Overall, I liked the Bulls draft picks and the Satoransky deal, but I worry that Thaddeus Young deal won’t age well and will hamper the Bulls ability to sign players in the future.