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Grading the Chicago Bulls’ month of July

By Luke Askew

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 09: Tomas Satoransky #31 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 9, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 09: Tomas Satoransky #31 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 9, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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July was a crazy month for the NBA and its fans. Rumors were swirling and players were relocating. Even the 2019 NBA Summer League was wild. How did the Chicago Bulls fare in the craziest month of the year?

Disclaimer: Technically, free agency started at 6 p.m. ET on June 30, but for the sake of this article, we’re going to count the start of free agency as the start of July. 

The Chicago Bulls entered the summer as a free-agency afterthought. They weren’t a major player for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker or any of the other top free agents. The Bulls were in the rare scenario, though, where leaving the free agency frenzy without a major star was okay. Unlike the Knicks, the Bulls weren’t set up to add an All-NBA-level talent. They were in position to add a few impactful role players, and that’s exactly what they did.

Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young were two of the most underrated and underappreciated free agents of the summer. Neither are stars. Both are borderline starters. With the current state of the Bulls’ roster, Thad will almost certainly spend the entire season coming off the bench. I’ll be shocked if Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. aren’t the starters in the frontcourt all season long. Satoransky, on the other hand, will likely be the day-one starter at point guard. He can defend, he can score and he’s a savvy vet. He’ll slot in perfectly next to Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Markkanen and Carter.

As the season wears on, I wouldn’t be surprised if Coby White gets some opportunities to play with the starting unit, but for now, it seems like Sato is the guy.

The Bulls also made decisions to sign Luke Kornet and bring back Shaquille Harrison and Ryan Arcidiacono. All three of those guys should immediately make the Bulls’ bench unit much better.

The free agency frenzy is over, but the Bulls walked away in good shape. They left the mosh pit as a better team, and that’s all you can ask for.

Free agency wasn’t the only important part of July, though. The 2019 NBA Summer League was incredibly eye-opening.

The Bulls had three players on the Summer League roster who will be remarkably important pieces during the 2019-2020 regular season: Chandler Hutchison, Coby White and Daniel Gafford.

Hutchison had his fair share of ups and downs. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he looked confident and aggressive. White also shot the ball poorly, but he looked amazing in every other facet of the game. He defended well, he looked comfortable, he made some really advanced passes and he was a phenomenal teammate.

Gafford was the most impressive Summer League performer for the Bulls. He blocked shots, finished around the rim and was competitive as all get out. If his performance during the 2019 NBA Summer League was at all indicative of what’s to come, then the Bulls got away with a huge steal by taking him in the second round of the draft.

Overall, this was a really positive, productive, encouraging month for the Bulls.

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Grade: A-

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