Chicago Bulls make surprisingly smart move with Tomas Satoransky
By Ryan Heckman
In their second move of this year’s free agency period, the Chicago Bulls actually came out on top.
Sunday night, the 2019 NBA free agency period officially got underway and the Chicago Bulls made a move quickly. Chicago signed free agent veteran forward Thaddeus Young, most recently of the Indiana Pacers.
Monday morning, GarPax went right back to work and made a move that will go overlooked by many, but should be applauded by the fans.
Chicago executed a sign-and-trade for Washington Wizards combo guard Tomas Satoransky. In the deal, the Bulls only give up a 2020 second-round pick along with the rights to swap a future second-rounder (per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune). No other players have been announced in the deal as of now.
Satoransky has only been around for three years in the league, but last season he took a huge step as a pro. Satoransky started a career-high 54 games for the Wizards and put up some underrated numbers: 8.9 points on 48.5 percent shooting (39.5 percent from deep), 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 27 minutes per game.
Standing 6-foot-7, Satoransky plays both point guard and shooting guard. He gives the Bulls yet another larger guard alongside Coby White, this year’s first-round pick out of North Carolina. With Satoransky in the fold, the Bulls now have some strong depth in the back court between he, White and LaVine.
Not only are they deeper in the back court, but all three of them can facilitate. Each offer their own strength to the rotation, with Satoransky’s being able to shoot from three-point range on top of his assist-heavy talent.
Satoransky’s deal with the Bulls is for three years and $30 million. Most would assume that this uses up the majority of Chicago’s cap room, but believe it or not, the Bulls could create even more space.
Chicago has the ability to create $10.5-$11M in room to acquire Tomas Satoransky with room. The Bulls would need to waive Shaquille Harrison, Walt Lemon Jr. and renounce Ryan Arcidiacano to create additional flexibility.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 1, 2019
If the Bulls do indeed create another $10-$11 million in cap room, this front office deserves some praise — finally. They are not making the typical head-scratching moves like last year’s bonehead deal with Jabari Parker. Adding a guy like Otto Porter last year and now building depth should give fans some hope for this coming season.
Next. Bulls: Takeaways from Thaddeus Young deal. dark
The Bulls may not be a title contender anytime soon, but the moves they have made thus far sure seem like they’ll be competing hard for a playoff spot. One can only hope the momentum continues.