KEY POINTS

  • Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso beef up the guard rotation of the Chicago Bulls
  • Ball can ease some burden off the shoulders of Zach Lavine next season
  • Caruso hopes to continue his efficiency off the bench with the Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have addressed their loopholes in the guard position when they took in a couple of former Los Angeles Lakers guards.

Lonzo Ball, someone that Chicago had been eyeing since March, is finally with the team following a sign-and-trade agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported.

The Bulls sent Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple to the Pelicans plus a second-round pick in the Lonzo Ball trade, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.

Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Jan. 7, 2019. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

However, it remains to be seen if this would be Satoransky and Temple’s last stop, with the Pelicans’ long-term plans on the two players unclear.

With Ball’s entry, the Bulls acquire a legitimate guard who can ease the load off Zach LaVine.

The 23-year-old has shown tremendous strides last season with the Pelicans. However, it was always believed that New Orleans would unlikely match any huge offers for the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Ball should blend into the system of Bulls head coach Billy Donovan well in what could be an exciting run-and-gun team this 2021-22 NBA season.

Seeing a Ball-LaVine combo would be something, giving Chicago some flexibility as far as playmaking chores are concerned.

With two playmakers likely present for the Bulls next season, Nikola Vucevic should get more touches operating inside the paint.

Also, it should be noted that Ball’s improved three-point shooting will help draw out defenders, giving the 30-year-old Montenegrin more space to work inside.

Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers
Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers Getty Images | Ashley Landis - Pool

But Ball is not the only ex-Laker coming to Chicago. After spending years in Los Angeles, Alex Caruso has also reportedly signed with the Bulls.

Caruso was one of the unsung heroes for the Lakers, someone who was able to fill in the void in various positions of the franchise last season.

Although his numbers were not that extravagant, the 27-year-old did his part and answered the call when needed for the ball club.

Before the move to Chicago, the Lakers reportedly had an interest in bringing back Caruso, ESPN reported citing sources.

But with the Lakers pressed for cash, the undisclosed offer may have been too low even for the veteran guard, resulting in his decision to move to the Bulls instead.

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