Chicago Bulls May Have Signed Their Coby White Exit Strategy

The Chicago Bulls haven’t made any real splashes in free agency this year. That isn’t a huge surprise considering their salary cap situation. Instead, VP of Basketball Ops Arturas Karnisovas has focused on improving team depth. First round pick Dalen Terry gives them a much-needed defensive presence at guard. Then veteran Andre Drummond arrived from Brooklyn to aid their front court with his strong rebounding presence.

Next on the agenda was seeing if they could improve their shooting. Here, Karnisovas got an assistant from Bulls center Nikola Vucevic who recruited former All-Star Goran Dragic to join the team. Sham Charania of The Athletic revealed the deal is for one year at $2.9 million. Last season was not customary for the 36-year-old, averaging .254 from three-point range. He was far better in 2020-2021 when he maintained a .373 average. Combine that with his 4+ assists per game, and the Bulls may have secured not only necessary depth behind Lonzo Ball but also an excuse to finally trade Coby White.

Free agent guard Goran Dragic has agreed to a deal with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2022

Dragic is signing a one-year, $2.9M deal with the Bulls, sources said. https://t.co/f6VK9np1cf

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2022

Can confirm Goran Dragic has agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, per source, which @ShamsCharania had 1st.

Nikola Vucevic, I’m told, played significant role in this situation.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 3, 2022

Chicago Bulls have run out of patience with White.

The former 7th overall pick was supposed to have taken strides in his career by now. Instead, he seemed to regress last season with fewer points, rebounds, and assists per 36 minutes played. His shooting wasn’t reliable enough, and he was an outright liability on defense. He couldn’t do it every time the Bulls needed him to step up in big games. While he is still just 22 years old, the reality is Karnisovas, and the new regime are tired of waiting.

The arrival of Dragic gives them the necessary insurance policy to trade White elsewhere. There is almost guaranteed to be a handful of teams interested in him. He could help the Chicago Bulls add another veteran piece they need in the front court or more draft capital. Dragic is a temporary solution, true. It is enough, though. He can be a reliable fallback option if Ball isn’t 100% after his knee injury last year. Getting 20-25 minutes per night with around 8-10 points and 4-5 assists would be great.