Chicago Bulls: Michael Carter-Williams trade wasn’t a bad deal

Don’t freak out about the Chicago Bulls dealing a pick for Michael Carter-Williams. It’s not that bad.

Monday morning, Chicago must have felt as though an enormous cloud had formed over the city. Just hours after the Chicago Bears had been knocked out of the playoffs by the reigning Super Bowl champs, it was a difficult morning to get out of bed. Fans of the Chicago Bulls nearly had a heart attack, also, to go along with their heartbreak from Sunday.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday morning that the Bulls had completed their second trade in the last week, this time dealing with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets needed to move some money around while creating a roster spot, so they dealt point guard Michael Carter-Williams to the Bulls, along with cash, in exchange for a future second-round pick. With the move, the Rockets created a $1.5 million trade exception, per NBC Sports.

It was easy for fans to flip a lid after seeing the initial report, but when you look at it as a whole, the trade wasn’t terrible. Let’s start with the cash considerations. The Bulls will already have some money next summer, but receiving a bit more from Houston isn’t a bad thing.

Second, and what fans are most upset about, is the second-round pick. Let’s take a look at a report from The Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson:

There you have it, folks. The pick that the Bulls are sending to the Rockets is highly protected. Therefore, the Bulls likely won’t even be sending them the pick after all — unless they all of the sudden morphed into a championship contender.

In the end, the Bulls were just a means to allow Houston to get some relief, luxury tax-wise, and made out with a little money themselves. The Bulls already announced they were waiving Carter-Williams once the trade was finalized around 4PM CST.

Along with waiving Carter-Williams, the Bulls are parting ways with recently-acquired MarShon Brooks, whom they received in a trade last week from the Memphis Grizzlies.

These two minor moves have been all about the future, for the Bulls. They have made it clear they will be active this year, prior to the deadline, and it is clearly with the coming seasons in mind.