Literally, almost at the exact time that the free agency negotiation window opened on the evening of Aug. 2, we got a Shams bomb confirming a massive move for the Chicago Bulls. Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls agreed to a four-year deal worth $85 million in total to sign the New Orleans Pelicans restricted free agent point guard Lonzo Ball.
The report that the Bulls agreed to this four-year deal with Lonzo to begin the free agency negotiation window early this week came courtesy of the Twitter timeline of Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium on Aug. 2.
The move that a lot of Bulls fans were waiting for with the opening of the negotiation window in free agency this summer arrived on Aug. 2 with the signing of Lonzo. Shams was right on the reporting of this move for the Bulls.
Lonzo Ball has agreed to a four-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul tells @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2021
This is a big deal for the Bulls to get done to open up the negotiation window. Karnisovas and Eversley likely wanted to get Lonzo in the mix since the trade deadline. But time and resources just ran out for the Bulls at the trade deadline back on March 25, when most of the focus was centered around nabbing the former Orlando Magic star center Nikola Vucevic.
Chicago Bulls get the point guard the team needed with Lonzo Ball
Now, the Bulls are one step closer to rounding out the starting five by adding Lonzo to the mix. Adding a true point guard of the future was a huge priority at hand for the Bulls this summer. And now that this deal is done, Karnisovas and Eversley can turn to the next priority at hand of rounding out the supporting cast for head coach Billy Donovan heading into next season.
The Bulls did a good job as a whole so far this offseason to try and upgrade the backcourt unit for the future. With their lone pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Bulls got good value at No. 38 overall in the second round by selecting the former Illinois Fighting Illini star junior point guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Moreover, the asking price for Lonzo wasn’t all that bad for the Bulls. In this sign-and-trade deal to nab Lonzo from the Pelicans, the Bulls had to give up veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, combo guard Tomas Satoransky, and a second-round draft pick. That isn’t that much for the Bulls to get that highly coveted point guard of the future.
The starting unit for the Bulls now looks to be Lonzo, star shooting guard Zach LaVine, forward Patrick Williams, potentially veteran forward Thaddeus Young, and Vooch. Young might be the starter at the four, but there are also some other options that the Bulls could explore in this regard.
If the Bulls manage to find a quality starting wing heading into next season, then P-Will could move to the four in the starting five. But now the Bulls have the most important position of need this offseason filled with this sign-and-trade deal for Lonzo.
Last season with the Pelicans, Lonzo averaged 14.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks. And he shot 41.4 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.1 percent from the free-throw line.