Chicago Bulls: Grading Kirk Hinrich Trade

The Chicago Bulls have dealt 13-year veteran Kirk Hinrich to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a future second-round draft pick.

Having lost 13 of their last 18 games, the Chicago Bulls were a little more active than usual prior to the trade deadline. But after all was said and done, the change that has been made to the roster was a minor one, as the team parted ways with Kirk Hinrich (for a second time) in exchange for a future second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls selected Hinrich with the No. 7 pick in the 2003 draft and he has spent of 11 of his 13 seasons in the Windy City. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made (1,049), and he also ranks third in assists (3,811), steals (857) and games played (748), per Basketball-Reference.com.

Although Hinrich is nearing the end of his career, he was a favorite of both Tom Thibodeau and Fred Hoiberg because of his ability to run the offense while not making costly mistakes.

This season, however, Hinrich did not see much playing time, and he averaged just 3.8 points in 15.9 minutes per contest in 35 appearances. While both of these marks are career lows, Hinrich did play well when he was given extended action. In seven games as a starter, he averaged a respectable 7.4 points and 2.7 assists per contest while shooting over 51 percent from the field.

What This Means

The lone positive of this move is that the Bulls will save approximately $3 million in regards to the luxury tax, bringing them to approximately $1.65 million over the threshold, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Looking at this scenario from the other side of the equation, however, this move has very little significance. With a team that has spiraled down from near the top of the Eastern Conference to barely being in the playoff picture, the reluctance of the front office to make changes has to be a disappointment in the eyes of Bulls fans.

Furthermore, it means that the dynamic duo of John Paxson and Gar Forman are holding on for dear life to the belief that this injury-plagued group will somehow find a way to consistently play well once the likes of Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic have returned to the lineup.

The counterargument to that logic is that the Bulls have lost to a number of teams even when the team was relatively healthy during the early months of the season. And if the front office believes that this team is going turn into some kind of a playoff powerhouse squad over the next few months, I would seriously suggest psychiatric help to say the least.

Next: Chicago Bulls: 5 Keys To Remaining In Playoff Picture

All in all, give the Bulls credit for being somewhat active prior to the trade deadline, as they did listen to offers for both Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson. In the end, though, as has been the case in years past, the Bulls opted to stand pat, hoping that they have more than enough to win.

Grade: C-