Chicago Bulls point guard Jevon Carter recently opting in to his $6.8 million player option isn't the most notable news in the world, but the consequences beginning to unfold as a result are already showing.
After a career year with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2022–23 season, Carter convinced the Bulls’ front office he was worth a hefty three-year, $19.5 million deal… well, hefty for his standards at least. He was brought in to provide a veteran 3-and-D presence off the bench. However, as the team began pivoting toward a youth-focused rebuild by moving on from DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, his role continued to diminish.
In his first two seasons in Chicago, Carter has struggled to live up to the contract, sitting behind a young and crowded backcourt. He’s averaged just 4.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 12.3 minutes per game in his stint with the Bulls. He’s bounced in and out of the rotation, earning most of his minutes only due to injuries to Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones. Now, his decision to opt in locks up both a roster spot and $6.8 million in cap space, money the Bulls could’ve used elsewhere.
Where exactly could that money have gone? Well, we’ve already seen the first domino fall.
Jevon Carter electing to remain with the Bulls has multiple ramifications
With the first-round pick, Noa Essengue, soon to sign his rookie deal, the Bulls are almost out of open roster spots. That means even if they wanted to sign their original No. 45 draft pick, they couldn’t, barring an unforeseen decision not to retain Josh Giddey and using the $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception to add a free agent. This is most likely why the front office has decided to trade back with the Lakers to No. 55, adding cash considerations in the process.
The front office has since revealed its strategy for the second round, wanting to either trade out entirely or select a draft-and-stash player who won’t take up a roster spot this season. It's a small, yet obvious sign that the Bulls are currently operating under tight restrictions, and that even the smaller contracts you give out to borderline rotation players will come to impact roster construction in one way or another.
Carter did what most, if not all, players would do in his situation. He absolutely made the correct decision in terms of what was best for his career. The problem rests on the front office's lack of planning and its reliance on yesterday's ideas to fix today's problems. The team will now head into free agency with five players hitting the market, opening up potential roster spots and added flexibility.