Grade the Signing: Bulls find their 3-and-D wing with Torrey Craig

The Chicago Bulls allayed the fears of many fans today by proving they aren’t done making moves in free agency just yet, as they have officially signed former Phoenix Sun and quality reserve forward Torrey Craig. This move will significantly bolster the depth chart, particularly at the forward positions, where the Bulls were looking particularly weak.

Arturas Karnisovas talked a big game entering free agency last week, and so far, it appears the franchise has locked down every player they’ve targetted in Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Jevon Carter, and now Craig. “We have a lot of work to do. You’re obviously writing about how much work we need to do. People are telling me we need to get to it. So we will this week,” said Karnisovas, “We’re going to address our stuff in free agency.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news of this signing earlier today, clarifying that is a two-year deal with a player option for the second year of the contract. It’s interesting how the financial details of this deal have yet to be shared, but I think it’s fair to assume the $4.5 million bi-annual exception was used to sign Craig at this point.

Signing Torrey Craig directly addresses one of the Bulls’ biggest weaknesses on the wing.

Believe it or not, the Bulls finally have a power forward on the roster taller than 6-foot-5. The only person more excited than Craig about this deal getting done is Alex Caruso, now that the significantly undersized guard won’t be forced to play power forward anymore.

This decision also proves the front office has made good on their word and is willing to dip into the luxury tax to field a playoff contender. Considering how Bulls’ management has been notoriously stingy with paying the tax, getting Jerry Reinsdorf to open up his wallet is a triumph in its own right.

Speaking of contenders, it still comes as quite a bit of a shock that Craig opted to sign up with the Bulls, especially when he was certain to have more proven teams signaling their interest. After playing a vital role for the Suns last season, they would have likely loved to have the veteran return, as well as rumored suitors in Golden State and Sacramento.

After witnessing the moves the front office has made this summer, it couldn’t be any more clear that they intend to put this team in a position to win once again. By keeping the core together, adding much-needed size and shooting, and allowing the young talent another year to develop, maybe this time things play out differently. Torrey Craig won’t be the difference between winning 40 games and winning a playoff series, but he does push the needle in the right direction while addressing this team’s biggest hole in the depth chart.

In a vacuum, this is a fantastic signing. But don’t let a few moves on the margin fool you, this team still has a long way to go before they’ll warrant any attention in a stacked Eastern Conference.

Grade: A