Arturas Karnisovas has already made a splash for the Chicago Bulls early in free agency. Shortly after completing a sign-and-trade for Lonzo Ball, he now added more backcourt depth with former Lakers guard Alex Caruso, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
“Free agent guard Alex Caruso has agreed to a four-year, $37M deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agent Greg Lawrence of
@Wasserman
tells ESPN,” reported Woj.
Free agent guard Alex Caruso has agreed to a four-year, $37M deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agent Greg Lawrence of @Wasserman tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
The Lakers were pretty much out of the race to bring back the Texas Tech product after trading for Russell Westbrook and signing Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Dwight Howard.
Caruso has become one of the league’s most popular players for his grit, grind, and hustle in the defensive end of the floor.
While his popularity skyrocketed from memes and mockery, Caruso earned every single one of his minutes on the court and played a huge factor in the Lakers’ success over the past couple of seasons.
Last year, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 42.9% from the floor.
Now, he’ll provide a much-needed defensive boost for a Chicago Bulls’ backcourt that lost Tomas Satoransky in the Lonzo Ball trade, and that may not have enough stoppers to pair next to Zach LaVine.
Also, the Bulls are reportedly trying to work out a deal to sign DeMar DeRozan, which would require a sign-and-trade for Lauri Markkanen plus other players to be discussed.
Nonetheless, for that to happen, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Zach LaVine would likely have to wait before getting a contract extension and help the Bulls out with the salary cap situation.
They’re still a couple of pieces away from being a contender, but the Chicago Bulls look like a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference right now.
