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Minnesota gets: Jimmy Butler, No. 16 pick (Justin Patton)
Chicago gets: No. 7 pick (Lauri Markannen), Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn
Minnesota gets: Jimmy Butler, No. 16 pick (Justin Patton)
Chicago gets: No. 7 pick (Lauri Markannen), Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn
Often teams show us how to fail at constructing a roster, but with this trade, the Chicago Bulls showed us how to fail at tearing one down. Astonishing.
You may have recalled that in my 'Unpopular Opinions' segment (which I suggest that you check out), I detailed why in fact I was of the view that Chicago needn't be in any rush to trade their (should-be) prized superstar. How hard it was going to be, I explained, to find another player that you could build your franchise upon. Don't tear down the foundation, build upon it.
But alas, the Bulls opted to destroy it all, and worse yet, failed to receive anything close to a superstar in return.
Dunn was old for a rookie last year when he was selected with the #5 overall pick by Minnesota, and also failed to make an immediate impact on the team with averages of just 3.8 points and 2.4 assists on a measly 37.7% shooting from the field in 17.1 minutes per game. At already 23 years old, it's very well possible that he'll never amount to anything more than a role player. It's not exactly like the Bulls were getting the #5 overall pick for a fresh draft.
LaVine is actually younger than Dunn at 22, and has proven himself to be a solid scorer, averaging 18.9 points on 45.3% shooting from the field. But beyond that? LaVine is a one-dimensional player with lackluster defense that he still hasn't improved enough, and the Timberwolves actually did better when he went down with a season-ending ACL tear that should still concern the Chicago front office regarding his durability. There's no guarantee that LaVine ever learns to do anything other than use his freakish athleticism to put the ball in the basket, which is definitely not the type of guy that you can build a franchise around.
You may have recalled that in my 'Unpopular Opinions' segment (which I suggest that you check out), I detailed why in fact I was of the view that Chicago needn't be in any rush to trade their (should-be) prized superstar. How hard it was going to be, I explained, to find another player that you could build your franchise upon. Don't tear down the foundation, build upon it.
But alas, the Bulls opted to destroy it all, and worse yet, failed to receive anything close to a superstar in return.
Dunn was old for a rookie last year when he was selected with the #5 overall pick by Minnesota, and also failed to make an immediate impact on the team with averages of just 3.8 points and 2.4 assists on a measly 37.7% shooting from the field in 17.1 minutes per game. At already 23 years old, it's very well possible that he'll never amount to anything more than a role player. It's not exactly like the Bulls were getting the #5 overall pick for a fresh draft.
LaVine is actually younger than Dunn at 22, and has proven himself to be a solid scorer, averaging 18.9 points on 45.3% shooting from the field. But beyond that? LaVine is a one-dimensional player with lackluster defense that he still hasn't improved enough, and the Timberwolves actually did better when he went down with a season-ending ACL tear that should still concern the Chicago front office regarding his durability. There's no guarantee that LaVine ever learns to do anything other than use his freakish athleticism to put the ball in the basket, which is definitely not the type of guy that you can build a franchise around.
Lauri Markannen is also nothing exceptionally special, and is perhaps even a slight reach at number seven. Yes, his scoring ability both inside and out is unmatched among other bigs in this draft class, but like LaVine, he is a measly defender who still needs to bulk up considerably. It feels like an eternity ago now where Chicago, led by Tom Thibodeau (who will now be coaching Butler again in Minnesota), had the premier defense in the entire league with a tough and gritty style of play. Anyways, I think Chicago missed out on some serious difference-makers with this pick, and moving up nine spots did not salvage this trade for them at all.
And yes, to be clear, Jimmy Butler is a legitimate superstar. He averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on efficient 45.5/36.7/86.5 shooting splits in 2016-17. The advanced stats check out too: his PER was 14th in the league last season, and ESPN's "Real plus-minus" statistic pegged him at seventh in the league -- and third (behind just Curry and LeBron) when factoring in his huge minutes load over 79/82 played games. The 27-year-old is a top-ten player in the association, and with two full years guaranteed years -- where he's only owed $35 million -- still under contract and no immediate desire to leave Chicago, there's still absolutely no reason that he should have been traded at all. And even with the prospects that the team received in exchange, there's now an overload of point guards: Rajon Rondo, Dunn, LaVine, Cameron Payne, Jerian Grant, and Isaiah Canaan are all under contract next season, and MCW could be returning as well. Failure on all fronts by GM Gar Forman and co.
Grade: D-
And yes, to be clear, Jimmy Butler is a legitimate superstar. He averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on efficient 45.5/36.7/86.5 shooting splits in 2016-17. The advanced stats check out too: his PER was 14th in the league last season, and ESPN's "Real plus-minus" statistic pegged him at seventh in the league -- and third (behind just Curry and LeBron) when factoring in his huge minutes load over 79/82 played games. The 27-year-old is a top-ten player in the association, and with two full years guaranteed years -- where he's only owed $35 million -- still under contract and no immediate desire to leave Chicago, there's still absolutely no reason that he should have been traded at all. And even with the prospects that the team received in exchange, there's now an overload of point guards: Rajon Rondo, Dunn, LaVine, Cameron Payne, Jerian Grant, and Isaiah Canaan are all under contract next season, and MCW could be returning as well. Failure on all fronts by GM Gar Forman and co.
Grade: D-
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