Complete 2017 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams
Chicago Bulls
Key additions: Zach LaVine (trade), Lauri Markkanen (draft), Kris Dunn (trade), Justin Holiday (free agency), Quincy Pondexter (trade), Diamond Stone (free agency), David Nwaba (free agency)
Key subtractions: Jimmy Butler (trade), Rajon Rondo (team option), Joffrey Lauvergne (free agency) Isaiah Canaan (free agency), Anthony Morrow (free agency)
The Chicago Bulls traded their best player — a legitimate superstar and top-20 player — for a guy coming off an ACL tear, a rookie who can’t play defense and another underwhelming point guard to add to their ever-growing collection after he stunk up his rookie year.
Maybe LaVine will come back healthy and continue his impressive progress as something more than just a dunker. Maybe it’s too early to give up on Dunn and maybe Markkanen’s shooting will overshadow his defensive flaws.
But the Bulls didn’t get a single blue chip prospect/pick to rebuild around, meaning the post-Jimmy Butler era is going to take a long time to develop. Rajon Rondo’s veteran influence is gone, they traded for Quincy Pondexter for some odd reason and Gar-Pax is as despised as ever. Yeesh.
Bourguet Grade: F