3) Chicago Bulls pieces to trade for Lonzo
Tomas Satoransky, Guard/Wing
The former Washington Wizards lengthy 6-foot-7 and 210 pound 29-year-old combo guard/wing Tomas Satoransky is one of the more unheralded potential names to watch that could be on the move as we approach the trade deadline next month. This former second round pick of the Wizards in the 2012 NBA Draft still brings a lot of value to the table with his team friendly contract.
Sato is also playing well of late as one of the veteran role players coming off the bench for this Bulls team. But once Sato lost his starting point guard job near the end of the 2019-20 regular season (in his inaugural year with the Bulls), the idea of him not being a long-term piece with this team started to come to fruition.
While the future at the point guard position for the Bulls might not be the second-year former North Carolina Tar Heel Coby White (or Ball for that matter), it doesn’t look like it will be Sato either. It might be best for both the Bulls and Sato to find a trade that works for both parties. And this year might be the right time for this type of move to happen with the Bulls young core improving at a rapid rate.
Sato has played in 16 games for the Bulls so far this season (starting in none of them), averaging around 20 minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 6.4 points per game, 2.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Sato shot an increasingly efficient 49.3 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Freeing up room in the Bulls backcourt rotation to make room for a Ball trade makes a lot of sense.