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Chicago Bulls: 3 picks from the 2010s we wish would’ve worked out

By Zane Harris

AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 6: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls brings the ball up court during the game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on March 6, 2017 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 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 Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 6: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls brings the ball up court during the game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on March 6, 2017 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 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 Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

Chicago Bulls draft picks we wish had worked out: 2. Jusuf Nurkic

The Chicago Bulls selected Jusuf Nurkic with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft. However, he was shortly traded from the Bulls to the Denver Nuggets.

The Bulls sent Nurkic and Michigan State guard Gary Harris to the Nuggets in return for Creighton shooting guard Doug McDermott.

At the time, it was thought that McDermott would be the next big thing in the league. He was one of the best scorers that college basketball had ever seen and it was expected that he would carry this over to the NBA.

Obviously, this is not what happened and the Bulls were fleeced in this deal and left with a giant what-if in terms of what Nurkic could have been on the Bulls.

At the time he was drafted, he would have been able to learn from Joakim Noah who was coming off of his Defensive Player of the Year season.

Without the guidance of a player like Noah, Nurkic has evolved into a very talented defensive-oriented center. If he would have remained on the Bulls, the team could have had a very elite center rotation for years to come. Along with this, Chicago would have had a worthy successor at center once they moved on from Noah.

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