Chicago Bulls: 5 most memorable moments from 2017
1. Bulls part ways with Jimmy Butler
As injuries continued to prevent the Bulls from becoming legitimate title contenders, one of the positive developments that took place over the past few seasons was Jimmy Butler’s unlikely rise to stardom.
During his rookie campaign back in 2011-12, Butler averaged just 2.6 points in 8.5 minutes per contest. Needless to say, those numbers didn’t scream “star in the making.” Over his next five seasons with the Bulls, though, Butler became one of the best two-way players in the league, increasing both his scoring and assist numbers during that span.
This includes a 20-points per game average in each of the last three seasons. Despite the fact Butler had established himself as a productive player at both ends of the court, the Bulls finally decided to go in a different direction, parting ways with their three-time All-Star and the No. 16 pick in a draft-night trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Considering what the Bulls gave up, the immediate feedback wasn’t overly positive.
You traded Butler for a 23-year old PG that can’t shoot, and a 22-year old guard that relies on his athleticism coming off a torn ACL.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) June 22, 2017
They’re going to win 18 games next year https://t.co/7v3ZGzqwgu
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 23, 2017
I don't really know what the Bulls are doing, fam
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 23, 2017
In return, the Bulls acquired Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 overall pick — Lauri Markkanen. How has the move worked out for the Bulls so far?
Not as bad as many expected.
For starters, Markkanen (14.7 points per contest) is the team’s second-leading scorer behind Mirotic and he leads the Bulls in rebounding with 7.4 boards per game.
Dunn — who had a disappointing rookie season in Minnesota — is averaging 13.2 points per contest, a far cry from the 3.8 per game he posted in 2016-17. Furthermore, Dunn leads the team in assists (5.9) and steals per game (2.0).
Can you say point guard of the future?
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition
While LaVine hasn’t played a game yet, he is expected to make his return sometime in January and if he comes close to playing at the level he did last season with the Timberwolves (18.9 points per contest on shooting splits of .459/.387/.836), Bulls fans will have a lot to cheer about — something that was not a certainty when this trade took place back in late June.