Chicago Bulls: Surprising Trade Deadline Takeaway

The Chicago Bulls were one of just a handful of teams that were active during the NBA Trade Deadline’s final hours on Thursday. The organization’s decision to trade away Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott signal a shocking revelation about the Bulls’ future outlook.

Few expected the Chicago Bulls to be aggressive players before the NBA Trade Deadline wrapped up. Most trade rumors surrounding the team centered around Jimmy Butler being on the move. While a trade involving Butler never panned out, the front office still made a surprising splash on Thursday.

Related Story: Grading the Bulls/Thunder Trade

The Bulls’ organization traded Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A move by the front office that has many fans shaking their heads in disappointment. Why is that the case? Because the Bulls traded away two key role players, along with a 2018 second-round pick, in exchange for two unproven bench players, and one journeyman veteran.

On the receiving end of the trade, the Bulls received point guard Cameron Payne, power forward Joffrey Lauvergne, and shooting guard Anthony Morrow. Payne is a second-year point guard who received limited minutes off the Thunder bench this season. Lauvergne is also an unproven role player coming off the bench in limited minutes. Morrow is the only real outside threat the Bulls received from the trade. He’s essentially “Doug McDermott 2.0”, except much older.

This abrupt trade made by John Paxson and Gar Forman was shocking to say the least. Not shocking in the sense that Taj Gibson was traded. If anyone was going to be on the move this season, Gibson was the most likely candidate. His contract with the Bulls expired after this season. The chance of losing Gibson during the off-season for nothing in exchange held too much risk.

Still, trading away a highly regarded defensive presence in Gibson, along with a decent shooter in McDermott should have garnered more in return. Including plugging in a 2018 second-round pick, the Bulls got ripped off in this one-sided trade with the Thunder. The Thunder clearly received the better-end of the deal, at least in the short-term. Maybe if the Bulls hadn’t included the 2018 second-round pick, this trade would look somewhat plausible.

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What the lopsided trade signals is that the Bulls are desperately trying to become younger as a team. That’s an obvious takeaway from the trade, but far from the most surprising. The most surprising takeaway is the immediate aftermath of the trade. The front office, because of this trade, appears content with the Bulls potentially not making the playoffs.

Trading away Gibson and McDermott severely weaken an already fragile, lackluster Bulls’ team. The team before the trade was barely holding onto a last remaining playoff spot in the East. Now, the Bulls are an even “lesser” lock to make the playoffs.

John Paxson and Gar Forman might finally be on board with starting a new rebuild. If the organization was desperate to make the playoffs, let alone compete at a higher level, they wouldn’t have made this abrupt trade. They would’ve instead tried to add more contributors onto the roster. Of course doing that would have been challenging. The Bulls had few valuable trade chips to dangle with other than Butler and Gibson.

The Bulls were therefore stuck in a no-win situation. That being said, the front office finally swallowed some of their pride. They realized they needed to look towards the team’s long-term future, not immediate.

Thus, potentially sacrificing a first-round playoff exit was clearly the best option for the Bulls. The front office could have easily kept the Bulls’ roster the way it was, with Gibson and McDermott still on it.

Instead, the front office finally came to a resolution that making a playoff appearance as an eighth seed isn’t any better than being a low-tier lottery team. In fact, the latter might just be what the Bulls wish they were at this point.

Now the Bulls’ organization can see what they have in young players such as Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine. Players who have rarely played in games other than in mop-up duty.

Next: Bulls' Trade With OKC Highlights Inability to Evaluate Talent

Therefore, this one-sided trade with the Thunder may end up benefiting the Chicago Bulls in the long-term.

A surprising trade deadline move made by a usually conservative Bulls’ front office. Nonetheless, one they just had to make.