Chicago Bulls: 4 players that hurt their contract value in 20-21

Chicago Bulls players who hurt their contract value in 20-21: Tomas Satoransky

Even though the Bulls’ 29-year-old 6-foot-7 and 210-pound combo guard Tomas Satoransky still has one year left heading into next season on his team-friendly contract, that doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt his value on the open market with his play down the stretch. There was a point in time when Sato was playing above the level of value the Bulls should get out of his current contract.

But just like he did during his first season with the Bulls, the play of Sato waned down the stretch. Sato didn’t come out of the gates as hot during the 2020-21 campaign as he did the season prior, but he was better in the first three months than the last two.

The former Bulls front office regime of John Paxson and Gar Forman were the ones that originally signed Sato during the 2019 offseason. They got him for a decent contract in what was actually a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Wizards. He’ll have one year remaining on his current contract heading into next season, which will be worth $10 million (partially guaranteed).

In the season that was, Sato registered a box plus/minus rating, total win shares, true shooting percentage, and offensive rating, all lower than his career averages. And other advanced metrics like win shares per 48 minutes and player efficiency rating sat right around his career averages. That’s not what the Bulls were expecting by giving him an upgraded supporting cast compared to what he had in years prior with this team and the Wizards.

Sato might not have a long-term role with the Bulls beyond next season. And Karnisovas might find it advantageous to cash out on his value now while his team-friendly contract is still pretty valuable on the open market.