Chicago Bulls make over their backcourt, reportedly acquiring Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade and adding Alex Caruso as NBA free agency opens

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A few moments after NBA free agency officially began Monday evening, the Chicago Bulls made the first big splash.

They agreed to sign guard Lonzo Ball to a four-year contract worth $85 million, according to multiple reports.

To complete the deal for Ball, the Bulls will send Tomáš Satoranský, Garrett Temple and a second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Ball in a sign-and-trade, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

And the Bulls continued to overhaul their guard rotation by agreeing to terms with former Los Angeles Laker Alex Caruso on a four-year, $37 million deal, according to ESPN.

Neither deal can be signed or announced until Friday after the four-day moratorium period ends.

The Bulls’ pursuit of Ball dates at least to the trade deadline in March, when he was rumored to be one of their top targets. They could not come to an agreement with the Pelicans for a midseason deal, but they were connected heavily to Ball for weeks leading up to the start of free agency.

So they were ready to strike right away to get their man.

Ball, who will turn 24 in October, is coming off his best NBA season with the Pelicans. He averaged a career-high 14.6 points and dished out 4.8 assists per game in 2020-21, and his shooting numbers, often one of the biggest concerns about his game, took a step forward.

He shot 41.4% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range on 8.3 attempts per game and 78.1% from the free-throw line with a true shooting percentage of 55.1% — all career highs.

Ball — the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft by the Lakers — hasn’t been a point guard in the traditional sense of a lead initiator, but he is a strong passer and acts as more of a connector on offense, which could be a valuable skill playing with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević.

Ball is an excellent playmaker in transition with the ability to play off the ball in the half-court offense, which also is valuable playing next to LaVine and perhaps Patrick Williams if the Bulls are ready to increase Williams’ ballhandling responsibilities in the coming years. And at 6-foot-6, Ball is a solid help defender who should improve the Bulls’ perimeter defense.

Caruso’s addition, meanwhile, should help solidify the Bulls defense and complement Ball and LaVine in the backcourt. Caruso, 27, is a versatile defender who made a name for himself — and won a championship ring — with the Lakers in 2020 guarding the ball at the point of attack. He didn’t take a lot of 3-pointers last season (2.4 per game) but he shot 40.1% from beyond the arc.

The Bulls used most of their mid-level salary-cap exception over four years to sign Caruso.

Although the Bulls had to give up some veteran players to acquire Ball, the price they paid was relatively modest.

With the Bulls rumored for weeks to be searching for upgrades at point guard, Satoranský's days with the team were numbered. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 assists in two seasons with the Bulls, but after his $10 million contract became fully guaranteed Monday, his salary fit nicely for a trade.

Temple will sign a two-year, $5 million contract with the Pelicans, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge, after contributing as a solid role player and veteran off the bench in his lone season with the Bulls.

The Bulls have not made the postseason since 2017, and new executives Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley have acted aggressively to improve the roster and get the team back into contention. Ball could have had other suitors in a crowded free-agent market for point guards, but he was ready to commit to the Bulls moments after he officially could.

After acquiring Vučević at the trade deadline, Karnišovas told reporters about improving the roster: “We’re not done.” On Monday, the Bulls landed their top free-agent target and overhauled their backcourt in the process. And judging by how this front office has operated so far, there could be more moves to come.