Chicago Bought a Starting Guard With Second-Round Capital
Chicago acquired Tomas Satoransky in a 2019 sign-and-trade after Washington re-signed the restricted free agent. The Wizards received the more favorable of Chicago's or Memphis' 2020 second-round picks, a 2022 second-round swap right and the removal of protection on a 2023 Chicago second that Washington was already owed. For the Bulls, the appeal was immediate: Satoransky had started 54 games for Washington in 2018-19 and gave a young roster a veteran ball-handler without surrendering a first-round pick.
Satoransky Gave Chicago Two Useful Seasons
Satoransky played 123 regular-season games for Chicago and started 82. He averaged 9.9 points and 5.4 assists while starting 64 of 65 games in 2019-20, then moved into a smaller role the next season while still averaging 4.7 assists. In August 2021, the Bulls included him with Garrett Temple, a 2024 second-round pick and cash in the sign-and-trade that brought Lonzo Ball from New Orleans. Satoransky therefore supplied real rotation value and later became part of another roster-building transaction, supporting Chicago's canonical B+.
Washington Turned the Departure Into Multiple Draft Assets
Washington's return was unusually layered for a departing guard. The 2020 second conveyed at No. 37, and the Wizards traded that slot to Oklahoma City for No. 53 Cassius Winston and a future second-round pick. The 2022 swap mechanism produced the No. 33 position before that asset traveled through later transactions and was ultimately used by Toronto on Christian Koloko. The separate 2023 Chicago second became more valuable because its protection was removed in this deal, preserving another usable asset for Washington.
The 2023 Pick Kept Reappearing in Bigger Transactions
The unprotected Chicago second later became the No. 42 pick in 2023, used on Tristan Vukcevic. Washington had sent that pick to the Lakers in the 2021 Russell Westbrook transaction, then reacquired it in the 2023 Rui Hachimura deal before the draft. The later trades had many other moving parts, so this original sign-and-trade cannot claim the full value of those deals. It can claim that Washington turned Satoransky's exit into durable draft flexibility while Chicago received two useful seasons from the player it wanted.
Final Verdict
Wizards Win — Chicago B+, Washington A. Chicago received 123 games and 82 starts from Tomas Satoransky, then used him as one piece of the 2021 Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade. Washington converted Satoransky's departure into a 2020 second that became No. 37, a 2022 swap mechanism tied to the No. 33 slot and removal of protection on the 2023 Chicago second that eventually became No. 42 Tristan Vukcevic. The Bulls got worthwhile on-court value, but the Wizards extracted multiple recyclable draft assets from a player who was leaving, giving Washington the stronger completed return.