Chicago Bulls: 3 players to let go that don’t mesh with LaVine and Vooch

Tomas Satoransky, CG

Sitting on a rather team-friendly contract, and bits and pieces of productive stretches over the course of his two years in Chicago, combo guard Tomas Satoransky is one of the Bulls’ very tradeable players in the near future. Sato did hold the starting role at the one for the Bulls over second-year point guard Coby White. But he has since lost that starting spot.

It doesn’t seem like the Bulls’ future point guard for this building starting unit is going to be either Sato or White. Given that along with the need to add a point guard this offseason, Sato might not be around in the Windy City for much longer.

I’ll be the first to admit that Sato still offers a lot of value in pretty much every NBA rotation. But his role just won’t be long-term for the Bulls and Karnisovas and Eversley already proved they won’t hesitate to trade key players for this team when the right deal presents itself.

At this point, I’d say it’s a coin flip’s chance as to whether Sato is still with the Bulls next season. Sato will be in the final year of his current contract next season, and it is only partially guaranteed. And if the Bulls plan on bringing in at least one point guard this offseason, while also keeping White around, the role of Sato would continue to decrease.

What also doesn’t help Sato’s case is the fact that he hasn’t played at his best down the stretch. Post-All-Star Break, nearly all of Sato’s shooting percentages and advanced metrics have dropped. And while he’s maintained his averages in terms of points per game, rebounds, and assists, since then, his turnovers have also skyrocketed.

For some reason, Sato’s numbers just haven’t picked up since the Bulls landed Vooch at the trade deadline.