Maybe the Chicago Bulls did win the 2017 NBA Draft after trading Jimmy Butler?
Entering the 2017 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls had a good (at times), but aging point guard penciled into their starting lineup. They also had a productive, but past his prime Dwyane Wade at shooting guard, and a disgruntled, but legitimate, star in Jimmy Butler. A few of the other pieces on their roster consist of Michael Carter-Williams and Denzel Valentine, two players that are bigger names than talents.
However, they ended the night by having a nice young core.
In the Jimmy Butler trade, the Bulls came away with Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. In essence, Chicago was able to address several issues they posed while adding young and promising talent.
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Rondo had a fine season with the Bulls, but there was no way he could’ve been brought back. He just doesn’t fit in the current NBA mold of pace and space. By adding Dunn, Chicago has a young player that many believed would be a future NBA All-Star just a year ago.
Wade is a no-doubt first ballot Hall of Fame player, but at 35 years old he’s simply not a player you need. Zach LaVine will be brought in slowly, after tearing his ACL last season, and will ultimately take over – probably sooner rather than later – for Wade, who will likely be bought out at some point this season.
Then you have Markkanen, the sharpshooting big man out of Arizona who has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki and Kristaps Porzingis. Those are lofty comparisons to say the least, but Markkanen’s game is tailor made for today’s NBA.
Markkanen’s ability to stretch the defense with his three-point arsenal is what most teams need in today’s game. In short, best-case scenario, he’s the kind of big man that a franchise can build around.
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Jimmy Butler is one of the best players in today’s game, but the Chicago Bulls needed to move him. In return, the Bulls now have a young core that can grow together for years to come. If LaVine, Dunn and Markkanen all reach their potential, we’ll be saying how a great of a trade this was for the Bulls down the road.