The Chicago Bulls have had one of the most active offseason’s across the league.
As soon as free agency kicked off Aug. 2, the Bulls signed Lonzo Ball to a four-year, $85 million deal, which is being investigated by the league for potential tampering.
The Bulls also added Alex Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal and, most notably, DeMar DeRozan on a three-year, $85 million deal in a sign-and-trade with San Antonio.
Zach Lowe of ESPN identified the Bulls as being the biggest gamblers during free agency. See some of his reasoning below:
“I am somewhere in the middle on their raucous offseason. I see a slightly higher ceiling than those cementing them in the play-in tournament in the beefed-up East. Their offense should be really good. Don’t overthink the DeMar DeRozan fit just because he shoots long 2s and won’t provide pitch-perfect spacing for Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball.”
According to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the Bulls have signed both the best and worst valued contracts in free agency so far. https://t.co/G7TamVzgH5
— Lonzo Wire (@LonzoWire) August 6, 2021
The fit and contract of DeRozan alongside LaVine and Vucevic can be questioned. That’s a considerable amount of money to put alongside Zach LaVine, who is a free agent next summer, in the backcourt.
Lowe continued:
“I like Ball, and I’m super-high long-term on Williams. You’d just like to have a little more in the young-player cupboard after one megatrade and years in purgatory.
That said, LaVine and Alex Caruso are just entering their primes; DeRozan and Vucevic are still in theirs. The Bulls have a nice age-range mix, which should give them at least some wiggle room to change direction if need be.”
With a bigger focus on the defensive end for veterans like LaVine and DeRozan, and youth around them in Ball, Caruso, and Patrick Williams, this Bulls team can move their way up the Eastern Conference standings.
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