Revisionist History

 

I know I have talked about the Jimmy Butler trade already, but I am not done yet. The Sixers are happy, the Bulls are happy, and the Wolves…could be happier. On June 22, 2017, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded SG Zach LaVine, PG Kris Dunn and the 2017 7th overall pick for SG Jimmy Butler and the 2017 16th overall pick. This trade was huge, and what the Bulls were getting in return raised some questions. Zach LaVine was coming off an ACL injury, and Kris Dunn really didn’t have a role in Minnesota, despite being the 5th overall pick. The Wolves figured Butler would be the perfect guy to complete the big 3 of the talent-loaded Towns and Wiggins, and that he and Tom Thibodeau would fit in perfectly together, starting from where they left off when Thibodeau coached the Bulls. Perfect right? Not really.

2018/19 Bulls

The Bulls, as it stands right now, won the trade. Zach LaVine has broken into an absolute scoring machine, dominating the 2018/19 season averaging 26-6-4. His shooting is good, maintaining percentages of 44% from the field, coupled with 31% from behind the arc on six three-point attempts per game. He has been the best offensive Bulls player this season, and he does not look like slowing down. The Bulls are 4-11 but have promising pieces in Wendell Carter Jr, Chandler Hutchinson, Lauri Markkanen, and Kris Dunn, both of whom are out with injuries. Kris Dunn was the other player in the deal. A point guard out of Providence who really never got his shot in Minnesota, but broke out in his first year in the Windy City, averaging 13-4-6, on 30 minutes a night.

 

 

Draft Picks

The Wolves used the 7th pick to draft Lauri Markkanen, a deadeye shooter out of Arizona, and the Bulls drafted Justin Patton, a center out of Creighton. Markkanen has turned into a menace for the Bulls, and Patton barely played last season with the bulls and currently has a broken foot, and will most likely not have a role in the Sixers rotation with Amir Johnson, Jonah Bolden and Mike Muscala already filling the Sixers big-men rotation needs.

 

 

All in all, the Bulls are the real winners of this trade. If they continue to grow their team and players, they will be a very good team in a scarily short amount of time. Wolves fans should be happy, but the organization might regret this move for a long time. The Sixers really didn’t lose out here too much. Jimmy will fit in fantastically and he, Ben and Joel should get along really well. If injuries don’t come knocking on Jimmies door than it will be an even better trade for the Sixers.