Loser: Chicago Bulls
Talk of the team potentially trading Jimmy Butler gave way to a lesser move that really makes us question the direction of the Bulls’ franchise. Chicago dealt stud power forward Taj Gibson and sharp-shooting guard Doug McDermott to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow on Thursday (more on that here).
Sure Chicago was fearful of losing Gibson in free agency this summer. So it makes sense that the team might look to move him. But instead of receiving draft pick compensation in return, the Bulls added two struggling youngsters to the mix. All the while, Oklahoma City actually received the only draft pick — a 2018 second rounder — that changed hands here.
It just doesn’t make any sense.
Why move a former lottery pick with a tremendous perimeter game and a bulldog of a power forward for pennies on the dollar? That’s only magnified by the fact that Chicago is now stuck between bottom-end playoff contention and irrelevance in the Eastern Conference.
The team simply needs to decide whether it wants to contend short term or build for the long term. Thursday’s trade did absolutely nothing to clear that whole mess up.