ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe sat down for a special free agency discussion on Sunday afternoon and both had plenty to say about the Chicago Bulls.
After connecting Lonzo Ball to the organization for the billionth time, Lowe brought up the Bulls’ dependency on Tomas Satoransky. The thought provoked Wojnarowski to provide an update on Satoransky’s standing around the league.
You just mentioned Satoransky, that’s a player that there is a lot of interest in him there. A lot of good teams see him as a guy who can fit in and play a role.
YOU DON’T SAY!?
As rumors swirl about the Bulls’ desire to add fresh faces to the roster this season, so does speculation about the team moving on from veterans like Satoransky and Thaddeus Young, two players on partially guaranteed deals, to open cap space.
Satoransky, for example, is owed $10 million next season if the team decides to keep him past August 1st. However, that number would drop to just $5 million if the organization decided to waive him and zero if the team traded him away.
So the fact other teams are interested should be music to this front office’s ears. While he could be a perfectly serviceable option off the bench for the Bulls next season, his departure would allow for important dollars to be spent elsewhere, whether that be on a starting point guard or upgraded depth. Not to mention, depending on how strong the interest is, it does not feel out of the question that he could be used in a draft-night deal.
There has already been a report the Bulls have prepared for the possibility to move up on July 29th. No, Satoransky would not significantly jump Chicago up the board, but one has to wonder if packaging him alongside their second-rounder could be enough to sneak the organization into the late first round. This draft is said to be deep, and there are plenty of older prospects who could prove to be strong role players for years to come in the 25-30 range.
Again, Satoransky returning next season should not be viewed as a total negative, but we all know this front office wants to make this roster their own. If Satoransky has multiple suitors around the league this summer, it just opens up the door more for Arturas Karnisovas to mix things up.
Watch Woj and Lowe’s full discussion below: