Bulls veteran signings: Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig
The front office also went out and signed veteran point guard Jevon Carter to a three-year, $19.5 million deal. Carter really took a leap in his time with Milwaukee last year shooting over 42% percent from beyond the arc. Carter will help to fill the role Chicago originally had for Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since January of 2022. While Bulls fans seem to be optimistic, Ball is not expected to return at all this season after undergoing a third procedure on his knee. Ball showed promise in 2021 after signing a four-year, $80 million deal. Ball has a $21 million player option in 2024.
Carter has proven to be a very solid role player for the Bulls through the first 8 games of the season for the Bulls, shooting 50% from beyond the arc, which is good enough for the best on the team and one of the top percentages in the league. His long-range shooting has led him to score just over 7 points per game which is good enough to be the fifth-highest for Chicago in just 15 minutes per game. Carter has shown to be a good off-season acquisition for the Bulls thus far, although early.
The Chicago Bulls went out and signed Torrey Craig the day after they traded into the draft to select forward Julian Phillips out of the University of Tennessee. Craig signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Bulls. Torrey Craig has stepped up early this year and has taken Patrick Williams’ spot at the starting power forward position.
Williams has had a very poor start to the season losing his starting job due to lack of production on the court. It was also reported that Patrick Williams sought a contract nearing the $200 million mark this offseason during his rookie extension talks, which ended in the sides not agreeing, making Williams a free agent at the end of this season.
Back to Craig, although starting the last few games, he is still only so around 20 minutes per game, splitting with Williams pretty evenly. Torrey Craig has shot 39% from three this year and grabbed around 4.5 rebounds per game, another spot where the Bulls have lacked in the past.