The Chicago Bulls took a flyer on veteran forward Torrey Craig in the 2023 offseason and has been an effective bench piece since arriving in the Windy City. Through 62 games with the Bulls, Craig averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc.

Craig played just nine games for the Bulls this season, prompting Chicago to waive him to make room for three new additions as part of the blockbuster Zach LaVine-to-Sacramento Kings trade. After hitting the waivers, Craig was signed by the Boston Celtics.

Following the signing, Craig revealed what drew him to choose the defending champs in free agency, via SBNation’s Noa Dalzell.

“You always want to play for something and compete for something,” Craig said. “I’m a super competitor — and I want to play basketball the right way at the highest level. Just to get an opportunity to come play with these guys was a no-brainer.”

 

Dec 23, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Torrey Craig (13) warms up before a basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The eight-year NBA veteran has always been a solid role player and will certainly bolster Boston’s wing depth as they look to win their second consecutive championship.

“They’re a deep team, super talented,” Craig continued. “Well-coached, well-disciplined. They play the right way. They know what it takes to win: playing defense, playing together, and having each other’s backs. You can just see it. The team chemistry and they allow each other to feed off each other and play together and I think that’s why they’ve been so dominant these past couple years.”

The Celtics are already the deepest team in the NBA, and adding a guy like Craig to fill out the bottom of their rotation certainly helps their title chances, while the Bulls had no true reason to keep him around.