Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season
5. Bulls have officially won the Jimmy Butler trade
When the Bulls decided to send Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017, some felt that Minnesota had gotten the better end of the deal.
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
Initially, the sentiment was somewhat warranted when you think about it. Although Zach LaVine was in the midst of a breakout year with the Timberwolves, he also sustained an ACL injury that kept him on the shelf for nearly a year.
Kris Dunn, who Minnesota took with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, had an underwhelming rookie season under Tom Thibodeau. On top of that, there were questions about whether Lauri Markkanen’s skill-set would translate at the next level.
While the trio played in just 12 games together last season, each of them demonstrated what they can bring to the mix on a given night. Meanwhile, Butler’s stay in the Twin Cities will be a short one, as the four-time All-Star has issued a request to be traded.
In light of this recent development, it would have been easy for the front office to gloat a bit. Instead, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson opted to take the high road when he was asked if the team felt vindicated.
"“It’s not on us to make any real comment on that,” Paxson told the Chicago Sun-Times. We obviously respect Jimmy as a player. He was here; we know how great he is. He did a lot of really good things for the organization. But that’s not our concern. When we made that deal last summer and acquired Zach and Kris and got Lauri in the draft, we moved on. We have too much to worry about internally to become a better team.’’"
On one side of the equation, there’s a Bulls’ squad entering training with the trio of players they acquired from the Butler trade eager to take the step. On the flip side of the coin, there’s a Timberwolves’ team that traded three players for what proved to be a one-year rental when it was all said and done.
With that being said, it’s safe to say that the Bulls came out on top of this deal.