One of the major moves that Chicago Balls fans expected wound up playing out on the evening/night of Aug. 2, with Arturas Karnisovas getting a sign-and-trade deal done with the New Orleans Pelicans restricted free agent point guard Lonzo Ball. The Bulls landed Lonzo in a sign-and-trade deal that saw the likes of combo guard Tomas Satoransky, veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, and a second-round draft pick get shipped off to NOLA.
That’s not a bad deal for the Bulls to get involved in to start off this cycle of free agency. And the Bulls made the first day of this cycle of free agency even better for the fans with the signing of another former Los Angeles Lakers point guard in Alex Caruso.
The Bulls got Lonzo on a four-year contract worth a total of around $85 million. That was around the price tag that was expected for Lonzo out of restricted free agency, in terms of the average annual value on this contract.
And the Bulls got Caruso also on a four-year contract, worth around a total of $37 million. That was also a good value for the Bulls, finding a three-and-D guard like Caruso for an average annual value under $10 million.
Chicago Bulls keep busy this week by nabbing DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade
The third big move that really arrived with a bang for the Bulls happened on the afternoon of Aug. 3, with Karnisovas going out to get star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs. In the second massive sign-and-trade deal for the Bulls this week, more talent was brought in to help upgrade the starting five.
But it seems like there were other moves the Bulls could’ve made with the amount that was given up for an impending free agent anyway. DeRozan is by no means a bad addition for the Bulls, there just might’ve been better options out there.
Here’s a look into three players the Bulls should’ve gone after instead of DeRozan this offseason.