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Chicago Bulls: Complete 2017 offseason grades

By James D. Tillman III

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 18: Nikola Mirotic #44 of the Chicago Bulls takes a shot in front of the Bulls' bench during the second quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 18: Nikola Mirotic #44 of the Chicago Bulls takes a shot in front of the Bulls' bench during the second quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images /

Bulls deal Jimmy Buckets to Minnesota Timberwolves

When the Bulls selected Jimmy Butler with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the payoff was not an immediate one. During his rookie season, Butler averaged 2.6 points in 8.5 minutes per contest.

Along with improving his scoring output in every season he’s been in the league, Butler has been far and away the best player on the Bulls’ roster over the last three years. During that stretch he has averaged over 20 points per contest while becoming the team’s No. 1 scoring option.

Despite his surprising rise to stardom, the Bulls deemed him as expendable and dealt him (and their No. 16 overall pick) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen.

This move came as a surprise to Bulls fans considering the front office advised they were not shopping the three-time All-Star. So what did the Bulls get in return for their longest-tenured player?

Let’s start with Dunn. He’s regarded as an above-average defender, but offered little from a scoring perspective during his rookie season. In fact, he shot 38 percent overall and converted just 28.8 percent of his attempts from distance while averaging 3.8 points per contest.

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Additionally, in his lone Summer League appearance, Dunn scored 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting, which means he still has a lot of work to do in terms of developing a consistent jump shot.

As far as LaVine is concerned, the story is slightly better. He averaged 18.9 points per outing in 47 appearances for Minnesota before going down with an ACL injury. It is also worth mentioning he shot a respectable 39 percent from beyond the arc.

The caveat here is the front office will more than likely take a conservative approach in terms of how long it will be before LaVine returns to the court. In other words, it will be a while before fans are able to see if LaVine has what it takes to replace the guy the Bulls willingly gave away.

At the time this trade took place, I felt the Bulls could have held out for more. A few months later, that opinion has not changed.

Grade: D-

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