NEWSLETTER
It only took one night of NBA free agency, but the Bulls finally grabbed a point guard.
After selecting Coby White with the No. 7-overall pick in this year’s draft, the hunt for a point guard took a backseat to the team’s interest in big man depth. The team took care of that need promptly after the 5:00 p.m. start time yesterday, surprising all of us with a three-year offer sheet to former Pacer Thaddeus Young.
Now, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bulls will bring in 27-year-old Tomas Satoransky on a three-year $30 million deal thanks to a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls are sending a 2020 2nd round pick and the rights to swap a future 2nd round pick in the Satoransky deal, per source.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 1, 2019
Sources: Washington gets some pick value in sign-and-trade: Chicago eliminates protections on 2023 second-round pick to Washington; Wizards get better of Memphis and Chicago's 2020 second-round pick; Wiz get right to swap Lakers 2022 second w/ better of Chi/Det. 2022 seconds.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
Yeah, that’s a lot of pick jumbling right there, but here are the assets the Wizards are acquiring from the Bulls in plainer terms, according to Woj (via Hoops Rumors):
That actually clears it up quite a bit. This stuff can sometimes be annoying complicated, when it first breaks. But let’s get back to the player.
Satoransky may be an unfamiliar name for some, but he has a long basketball history that stretched back to a professional career overseas as a teenager. However, his NBA career only started three seasons ago with Washington, and his breakout performance went down, well, last year.
And while his stat line isn’t going to shock you (8.9 ppg, 5.0 apg), Satoransky caught eyes around the league with his strong efficiency across the court, ending the year with a 48.5 field goal percentage and a 39.5 three-point percentage.
With the Bulls in the hunt for more spot-up shooters, Satoransky fits in nicely. Not to mention, on the other end of the court, his 6′ 7″ frame can match-up well against most guards around the league.
Much like the contract offered to Young, the third-year of Satoransky’s deal is guaranteed, but at a younger age than the other names floating around the Bulls rumors mill (Cory Joseph, Patrick Beverley) the team is locking up a solid depth option for the next several years. He, too, can help this young Bulls core develop while also helping to demonstrate the sort of near-term competitiveness and playoff contention that can attract bigger, better talent down the line.
Moreover, Satoransky should have the ability to move in and out of the lineup pretty easily, considering a starting role in the NBA wasn’t something he has grown accustomed to over the years. However, the addition gives Jim Boylen even more lineup options on the court, adding a pretty versatile look to the roster.
Bulls roster, with at least one more signing coming from room exception:
PG: Satoransky, Dunn, White
SG: LaVine, Valentine, Blakeney
SF: Porter, Hutchison
PF: Markkanen, Young
C: Carter, Gafford, Felicio— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 1, 2019
For a team that has been pretty cookie-cutter over the past several seasons, the additions of White and now Young and Satoransky should help not only play a more modern-style of NBA basketball, but also to better adjust to other lineups mid-game (don’t screw it up Boylen).
The Bulls came into the offseason roughly $23M in cap space, but figure to use it all up between the signings of Young ($13M in AAV) and Satoranski ($10M in AAV). They can still make additional signings, though, and we’ll have more on that later.
We’ll also have more on Satoransky later! Gonna be a busy day!
