Bulls News: Latest Buzz on Wendell Carter Trade, Patrick Williams, More
After an extended offseason, the new-look front office for the Chicago Bulls finally had a chance to add some players.
During the 2020 NBA draft, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas led the charge to select Patrick Williams and Marko Simonovic. Shortly afterward, the Bulls signed a high-priority undrafted free agent.
The path to Chicago's draft results may have involved a trade involving Wendell Carter Jr. and the Golden State Warriors. But either it didn't happen, or the Bulls—wisely—aren't willing to admit it.
That storyline leads off a review of a newsworthy week in Chicago.
Karnisovas Denies Carter Rumor
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Leading up to the draft, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported the Bulls had offered Wendell Carter Jr. and the No. 4 overall pick to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 2 selection.
Karnisovas denied the rumor, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago, saying Chicago never considered trading up.
Might be true! Might not be. You're welcome to adjust your tin-foil hat accordingly, if you'd like.
But it's no surprise Karnisovas wouldn't acknowledge if the Bulls had considered a trade. There is no upside to revealing Carter whether was on the trade block. He's a third-year player who should play a key role next season. The 21-year-old Carter has averaged 10.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in 87 appearances.
Alienating a promising, young player is never a good idea, so Karnisovas handled this topic publicly as well as possible.
Plans for Williams, Simonovic
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Although the Bulls have a few quality pieces on the roster, they're not built well enough to draft a specific position of need.
Williams gives them flexibility anyway.
"He's a versatile defender who can guard one to five. I don't even know what position he is," Karnisovas said, according to Sam Smith of NBA.com. "If you watched Florida State games even after baskets he would be full-court pressing on guards. That's a very unique skill for such an athletic and big player."
"He can play one through five," Karnisovas added of Williams offensively. He scored 9.2 points per game for FSU last season.
Chicago drafted Montenegrin center Marko Simonovic in the second round, but don't expect to see him immediately. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic noted Karnisovas said Simonovic will remain overseas "for at least a year."
The 7-footer averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds for KK Mega Bemax (Mega Soccerbet) of the ABA League last year.
Bulls Confirm Dotson Signing
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While the Bulls shouldn't have limited themselves to filling a specific role in the draft, they nevertheless have positions of need.
And the biggest one is point guard.
Moments after the draft concluded, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Bulls had signed Kansas standout Devon Dotson. Karnisovas confirmed the signing during his Thursday appearance on 670 The Score, according to Johnson.
Dotson averaged 18.1 points and 4.0 assists as a sophomore, landing second-team AP All-American honors.
Chicago recently declined to extend qualifying offers for Kris Dunn and Shaq Harrison. While the Bulls could bolster the position in free agency, Dotson has a path to minutes behind Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono as a rookie.
