Departing players Chicago Bulls fans should be sad to see go: Garrett Temple
One of the initial departures for the Bulls this offseason was the veteran shooting guard and 35-year-old Baton Rouge, LA, native Garrett Temple. Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls dealt Temple out in a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans that brought restricted free agent point guard Ball into the fold.
It wasn’t necessarily the production that Temple gave the Bulls that should be the reason why this fan base misses him. Temple was a likable player that was one of the best and most gritty defenders that the Bulls had in the mix last season. It was also by no means a long-term solution for the Bulls to have Temple as a backup two-guard.
Nonetheless, Temple was solid a lot of times when needed off the bench for the Bulls. He even started in 25 games for the Bulls during the regular season. Temple has actually started in 60 regular season games combined in his time with the Bulls and Brooklyn Nets in the past two campaigns.
When Karnisovas and the Bulls signed Temple to a one-year deal worth around $5 million, the goal was not to find an ultra-efficient impact guard. The Bulls needed a veteran voice in the locker room that could help move this young team along and provide clarity as to who could be more long-term pieces for this franchise.
Temple largely succeeded in the role he was brought in for. But with the Bulls moving into a new era of the building of this roster, it didn’t make much sense to bring him back heading into next season.