$62 Million Sharpshooter ‘Expected’ Bulls to Offer Contract in Free Agency
Heading into this season, Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said he wanted to change the team’s shot profile.
The Bulls brought back the majority of the same roster from last season, though. And, while the additions of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig should help with both players coming off career years shooting the ball from deep, the Bulls appear to have missed out on an opportunity to do even more to help their three-point shooting woes.
“Honestly, I was expecting them to come this summer with something,” former Miami Heat wing and Chicago native Max Strus said on “The Mid Show” on November 2. “I thought they were gonna … try in free agency to come and get me. They showed a little interest, but yeah, nothing.”
There was talk that the Bulls could look to reunite with Strus this offseason.
Strus signed a four-year, $62.3 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a trade.
He spent the last three seasons with the Heat, making a name for himself as a floor-spacer connecting on 37.1% of his deep looks in that span including 41% in 2021-22.
But the 6-foot-5 Strus began his NBA career, first with the Boston Celtics in the G League, then with the Bulls in 2019-20. Strus, who was a standout at nearby DePaul University in college, scored five points in two appearances, seeing just six total minutes with his hometown team before tearing his ACL and having COVID interrupt the NBA season.
Max Strus: ‘No Hard Feelings’ Over Lack of Contract Offer From Bulls
“No hard feelings,” Strus said of not getting an offer from the Bulls. “But obviously, it worked out for me. I’m doing well.”
There may be “no hard feelings”, but Strus was not shy about expressing joy over keeping his former team from the playoffs last season when the Heat beat the Bulls in the second round of the Play-In Tournament.
