Bulls trade for small forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from Okalahoma City Thunder
The Bulls were back at it Friday, helping another team lower its luxury tax bill.
They acquired 6-foot-6 forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with cash considerations, in exchange for a protected 2020 second-round pick. In a related move, the Bulls cleared a roster spot by ending the Carmelo Anthony era, releasing the veteran forward after he spent 10 days on the Bulls' official roster.
Luwawu-Cabarrot, a native of France, was chosen with the No. 24 pick of the 2016 draft by Philadelphia. He was a rotation player for the 76ers during his first two seasons, averaging a career-best 6.4 points as a rookie. Last summer he was sent to Oklahoma City as part of the three-team deal that sent Anthony to Atlanta and Dennis Schroder to the Thunder.
Luwawu-Cabarrot has not gotten much playing time in OKC. He's played in 21 games, averaging 1.7 points in 5.9 minutes. His history as a 3-point shooter is not good, connecting on 31.7 percent.
The Bulls are planning to keep Luwawu-Cabarrot on the roster and give him a look. The Thunder was able to lower its luxury tax bill by sending him to the Bulls and including enough cash to cover the remainder of his $1.54 million salary for the season.
Meanwhile, the Bulls practiced in Miami on Friday before flying to Charlotte, where they'll finish a three-game road trip on Saturday.
Zach LaVine, who missed the win over Miami with a sore ankle, practiced and is hoping to return against the Hornets.
"Still sore, a little stiff," LaVine told reporters after practice. "Tough when you got two rolled ankles. Can't really hobble, you just are scooting around. So I'll see what I can do, I'll see game time, see how I feel. I've already missed enough games in my career with that one ACL injury, so I don't want to miss any more."
"I've been generally healthy this year except for the one rolled ankle. It's part of the NBA. You are never going to be 100 percent throughout the whole season, so you have to learn to play with some injuries."
Wayne Selden Jr., who started the last three games at small forward, missed practice with a sore knee, but coach Jim Boylen thinks the recent arrival will be available to face the Hornets. Selden has brought some offense to two of those games, scoring 15 points against Cleveland and 20 against Miami. He hit 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range in those two contests.
"He's driven the slots pretty good and I like that," Boylen said. "But with that said, he's a physical body who takes pride at the defensive end of the floor."
Jabari Parker will miss the Charlotte game. Boylen said Parker flew to Utah on Friday due to a death in the family.
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