Bulls make bold move to add all-star center Vucevic
The theory behind the Bulls' surprisingly bold trade Thursday was simple enough, according to Arturas Karnisovas.
"Usually you don't get too many chances at all-star level players, and we were fortunate to get it done," the Bulls president of basketball operations said on a Zoom call with reporters.
The all-star is former Orlando center Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls sent Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter, their 2021 and 2023 first-round picks to the Magic for Vucevic and forward Al-Farouq Aminu.
Then in a three-way trade with Boston and Washington, the Bulls added Celtics big man Daniel Theis, Celtics guard Javonte Green and Wizards forward Troy Brown Jr. The Bulls gave up Daniel Gafford, Chandler Hutchison and Luke Kornet in this deal.
Despite all the rumors about trading for Lonzo Ball and maybe creating a Big Three with Vucevic and Zach LaVine, Ball is staying put in New Orleans for now.
According to Karnisovas, this wasn't about deciding to trade Carter or setting out to make a big splash. The opportunity to grab Vucevic was there, so he found the pieces that would make it work.
"All these opportunities are coming randomly right at you," Karnisovas said. "We got this opportunity ... without giving up - in our minds - too many assets. So I thought that we really improved today. We have what, 29 games left? We're going to make a push. We'll see what happens the rest of the season."
Ball will be a restricted free agent this summer, but the Bulls used up most of their summer cap space by taking on Vucevic and Aminu. They could conceivably create more cap space by buying out the partially-guaranteed contracts of Thad Young and Tomas Satoransky, but they'll also have a decision to make on restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen.
Without question, Vucevic is the major acquisition for the Bulls. The 6-foot-11 Switzerland native is averaging 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds this season. He's made steady improvement throughout his career, which began in Philadelphia. Once a defensive liability, Vucevic has grown on that end and added a 3-point shot to his repertoire in recent years.
Vucevic, 30, has two years left on his contract, worth $24 million and $22 million, which is a pretty good value for an all-star. The Magic also sent forward Aaron Gordon to Denver and guard Evan Fournier to Boston on Thursday.
Aminu, 30, has had injury issues, playing in just 17 and 18 games the past two seasons. He was one year left on his contract at $10.2 million.
Theis, a 6-8 German native, figures to get heavy minutes with the Bulls. He was averaging 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Celtics.
Brown is a 6-6 small forward, chosen No. 15 overall in the 2018 draft from Oregon. He had a nice sophomore season with the Wizards, averaging 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, but hasn't played as much this year.
Green, 27, is a 6-4 guard from Radford, who has seen limited minutes in two NBA seasons. Green is a better rebounder (6.4 per 36 minutes) than 3-point shooter (29.1 percent).
It's been clear for a while that having so many young players with no winning experience has been a difficult formula for the Bulls. It was only a matter of time before one of the recent first-round picks was moved. Carter, who went No. 7 in the 2018 draft, has shown some promise in his three seasons with the Bulls, but also struggled with injuries, inconsistency and wavering confidence.
The two first-round picks headed to Orlando are thought to be top-4 protected, but Karnisovas declined to confirm those details. As of Thursday morning, the Bulls (19-24) were 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, but just three games behind fourth-place Charlotte. With a nice boost from Vucevic, the Bulls probably think their first-round pick could end up in the 15-20 range, making it less valuable.
It was a hectic deadline around the league. Miami made a bold move in the final moments, adding Victor Oladipo from Houston for Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. The Heat is also considered a favorite to sign San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge after a buyout.
Atlanta and the Clippers swapped veteran guards, with Rajon Rondo going to the Clippers and Lou Williams to the Hawks. Toronto's Norman Powell went to Portland for Gary Trent Jr., but the Raptors hung onto veteran Kyle Lowry.
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