After carving out a career in the NBA as a defensive pest in the backcourt, Jevon Carter enjoyed the best offensive season of his career in 2022-23. In his age-27 season, Carter averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 42.3/42.1/81.6 shooting splits in his first full season with the Milwaukee Bucks, setting himself up for free agency at a strong time. On Friday, Carter reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, more than doubling his career earnings in one fell swoop.
Free agent guard Jevon Carter has agreed on a three-year, $20 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Carter leaves the Bucks to bring Bulls his perimeter toughness. pic.twitter.com/AjqjxN3rKO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
Carter becoming a reliable three-point threat has made him more than just a defensive specialist. As such, he chose to decline his player option for the 2023-24 season. That deal was for less than his minimum would be this season, making it an easy choice to hit the free agent market.
The expectation was for the Bucks to attempt to re-sign him, as he excelled as their backup point guard last season and allows them to have strong point of attack defense for 48 minutes when he spells Jrue Holiday. Still, the Bulls paid a substantial price to acquire Carter, taking him away from a division rival in the process, and Carter will step into a backcourt that is expected to be without Lonzo Ball again in 2023-24.
