First reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Jevon Carter will be joining the Chicago Bulls on a three-year, 20 million dollar deal within an hour of free agency beginning. Carter, who turned down his player option to remain in Milwaukee, brings a 40% shooting percentage from deep, a tenacious perimeter defending style, and 305 career games of experience to a Bulls roster lacking at the point guard position. It's unclear yet if he will assume the starting role or play off the bench, but regardless this likely means Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Beverley will not return to Chicago. Was this the big move that Arturas Karnisovas and the front office were eluding to since the heartbreaking Play-In tournament loss, or can Bulls fans expect a more significant splash on the horizon?
Three-Point Shooting and Defense
At under 7 million dollars per season, this is undoubtedly a team-friendly deal for Chicago. A low-risk, high-reward scenario for a franchise that has suffered from beyond the arc the last two seasons, ranking dead last in three-point attempts each of those years. Carter's 4.2 attempts per game at 42% will bring a refreshing knockdown specialist to a roster that only had two players attempt more three-point shots per game and had zero players fire them up as efficiently as the Bucks' reserve guard did in each of his last two seasons.
With an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly three, Carter will be leaned on to create open looks for Chicago's perimeter shooting. At only 5.4 points per game across his career, a role similar to Patrick Beverley's to close out last season is a realistic outlook for the 27-year-old point guard, with better outside and free-throw shooting. It'll be interesting to see how Billy Donovan deploys his guards with Coby White, Alex Caruso, and Carter now in the mix, pending any further moves this summer.
What's Next For Chicago
As recently as today, Joe Cowley reported that the Bulls are still taking calls on their star Zach LaVine, but the asking price is too steep for any bites league-wide. Could Chicago contact the 76ers about James Harden or the Trail Blazers about Damian Lillard? Both stars are set to play elsewhere next season, and it could be a career-saving move from the Bulls' front office should they leap.
There has been reported interest in Wizards' guard Monte Morris and Warriors' guard Donte DiVincenzo, which has likely fizzled now with the Carter addition. Both players have similar skill sets to the ex-Mountaineers, and unless the Bulls are planning on shipping Caruso, there's not much guard room left in the backcourt.
Based on the interview following the 2023 NBA Draft a week ago, Chicago is not done making moves. It's tough to speculate where they'll look next with a practically full roster of 11 contracted players. Still, it's hard to imagine that Jevon Carter and a second-round wing selection as the two anticipated offseason additions will generate any new result than the lackluster and utterly pathetic performance this team set forth during the 2022-23' campaign where they failed to reach the postseason.
Stay tuned as free agency continues, as there's still a lot of talent left on the market and several high-caliber players looking for new homes.
Who will Chicago target next? Comment below!
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