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The Chicago Bulls have been among the busiest teams in the NBA. Here are some of the whirlwind details.
The Chicago Bulls Have Their Starting Point Guard
Seconds after free agency began, the Bulls acquired Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign-and-trade deal that saw Chicago send Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple to New Orleans for Ball, who had signed a four-year, $85 million deal with the understanding he’d land in the Windy City, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Chicago Bulls are sending Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and a second-round pick to New Orleans for Lonzo Ball, who’s signing a four-year, $85M contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
The Bulls wouldn’t have been as aggressive unless they were sure the New Orleans Pelicans, who still owned Ball’s rights based on his restricted free-agent status, wasn’t going to match.
The Bulls Sign Alex Caruso
Shortly after the news broke on Ball, Chicago’s front office struck again with the signing of former Los Angeles Lakers spark plug, and NBA champion Alex Caruso.
The Bulls signed Caruso to a 4-year, $37 million deal, which should position the 27-year-old to play a valuable role off the bench for the Bulls in 2021-22. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first on the scene with the info:
Free agent guard Alex Caruso has agreed to a four-year, $37M deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agent Greg Lawrence of @Wasserman tells ESPN.
Caruso took to Twitter to say hello to Bulls fans.
CHICAGOOO.. LETS GET IT #BullsNation
Caruso became a fan and teammate favorite during his time with the Lakers. Now former teammate Kyle Kuzma, who was shipped off to the Washington Wizards in a deal that brought Russell Westbrook to the Lakers, congratulated his friend.
Caruso also acknowledged the Lakers fans who “loved him before it was cool.”
Will never forget my time in LA and the #lakeshow fans.. y’all loved me before it was cool 💜💛genuine love for all of y’all
The Bulls Still Might Not Be Done
I don’t want to get all 30-for-30 on you, but what if I told you Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley acquired Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso on Monday but still weren’t done reworking the Bulls’ roster.
There is discussion that suggests the Bulls are looking at a potential “double” sign-and-trade that would send Lauri Markkanen to the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
.@WindhorstESPN on Chicago being interested in both Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan:
“From what I am told, [the Bulls] are also interested in DeMar DeRrozan, and are interested in pulling off a possible double sign-and-trade where they would send Lauri Markkanen to San Antonio.”
Chicago sports insider Daniel Greenberg talked about the potential attraction to DeRozan could stem from Eversley’s initial scouting of DeRozan out of college.
DeRozan has had a strong career, but some seem a little “torn” on their view of his fit on the Bulls’ roster. Forbes’ Jason Patt tweeted:
kinda torn on this one as i’m not a huge DDR guy but i could be talked into it. improved playmaking, some more bucket-getting, Bulls would have other shooters in the lineup.
The Bulls starting five of Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic should have no problem scoring points. Defensively? That might be another issue.
Derrick Rose Talk
Unfortunately, the discussed possibility of a homecoming for Derrick Rose didn’t come to fruition. The 33-year-old veteran elected to go back to the New York Knicks on a three-year, $43 million deal. Rose was likely offered the contract Caruso ultimately took, but the Knicks ponied up for more money, and that was likely the deciding factor.
The Bulls indeed were engaged in talks to sign Derrick Rose, per sources. Rose agreed to a 3-year, $43M deal to return to the Knicks. The Bulls are in agreement with Alex Caruso on a 4-year, $37M deal.
As it is, both the Knicks and Bulls seem to be pointed upward, and who knows, perhaps both will be in the postseason next year.
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