Say goodbye to the grit and grind. According to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson, the Chicago Bulls front office will not pick up Ryan Arcidiacono’s $3.0 million player option for the 2021-22 season.
The Bulls are declining the $3M team option on Ryan Arcidiacono, per source.
Arcidiacono could be a candidate to return on a minimum deal, although he also is expected to draw interest in free agency.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) August 1, 2021
Arcidiacono may not have been a high-impact contributor, but we got to give him credit for always working his ass off.
I’m not surprised in the slightest to hear other teams have interest in signing the veteran guard, but I’m also not at all surprised to hear Arturas Karnisovas decided to part ways. While $3 million is not a significant chunk of change, every dollar (and roster spot) matters when you’re trying to reinvent the team. Arcidiacono’s departure could signal that Karnisovas is eager to add a load of fresh faces to the bench and rotation this summer. We saw him move on from five roster members at the trade deadline, so perhaps we are about to see a very similar approach taking this week (as opposed to re-signing their own free agents).
Regardless, Arcidiacono’s departure leaves yet another opening at the guard position. With Coby White coming off a shoulder injury and likely missing the start of the season, it will be important to find a reliable presence who can plug into the rotation when need be.
Our attention now turns to Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young. Both players have partially guaranteed deals that will go into effect if not waived today. If the Bulls move on from both quality role players, it would signal we are in store for an even busier free agency.
Thanks for the hustle, Arch!
Ryan Arcidiacono goes all out to save the ball and it ends with a Zach LaVine flush on the break 😱😱😱 #BullsNation
🎥: @chicagobulls
pic.twitter.com/OX7uEDZVEV— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) March 7, 2019