NBA Trade Grades: Bulls sending Jameer Nelson to Pistons
Chicago Bulls
This is a bit of a nothing deal for the Bulls. Both Nelson and Reed will be free agents this summer and are on minimum contracts, so there’s no cap space being saved or long-term money to get out of.
According to ESPN‘s Bobby Marks, the Bulls have created a minor trade exception:
Chicago will create a $1.43M trade exception with the Jameer Nelson trade. The Bulls are operating as a team over the salary cap based on their $12.5M (TE) and remaining Mid Level and Bi-Annual Exception.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 8, 2018
At first, it seemed this move was signaling the front office had another move in the works, possibly involving Robin Lopez.
The Chicago Tribune‘s K.C. Johnson recently reported Lopez was available approaching the trade deadline, and with the injury-prone and possibly washed up Omer Asik recently joining the roster, Chicago would need a more reliable option at the 5 in the event of a deal.
The Chicago Bulls have acquired two centers in the past week. Is Robin Lopez getting traded today?
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) February 8, 2018
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Goodwill’s report that Reed will immediately be waived. It makes sense since he was just hit with a six-game suspension, but that means the only real incentive in this deal was doing Nelson a solid, creating a minuscule trade exception and the right to swap second round picks in 2022.
So far this season, Reed is averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game over 42 appearances between the Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers. However, last year with the Miami Heat, he had a breakout year, contrary to what his 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game indicated.
He was a revelation in his five starts, averaging 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, and his numbers looked much better once he finally cracked Erik Spoelstra’s rotation in January. He could’ve helped Chicago’s back line, but as an unrestricted free agent this summer, his place on a tanking team was unnecessary.
In the Jameer Nelson-Willie Reed trade, Bulls also get rights to swap second-round picks in 2022 NBA draft, I’m told.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) February 8, 2018
In any case, the Bulls are doing Nelson a solid by sending him to a playoff-hopeful team rather than making him play babysitter. The right to swap picks in 2022 is an odd but familiar Bulls wrinkle, especially since it’s hard to project where Chicago and Detroit will be four years now, but it doesn’t hurt either.
So basically, the analysis for the Chicago Bulls’ side boils down to…sure?
Grade: C