The Bulls were offered as many as two first-round picks for Alex Caruso prior to the 2024 trade deadline, sources confirmed to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Instead, Chicago traded Caruso to Oklahoma City over the summer in a one-for-one swap for fourth-year point guard Josh Giddey in a move that resulted in some outside criticism for the front office.
As Collier details, the Bulls preferred to acquire an established NBA player instead of future draft assets because they want to avoid a full-fledged roster tear-down. They also envision Giddey as a key part of a new-look roster built to employ a run-and-gun style.
“(Giddey) plays exactly how we want to play,” Bulls general manager Marc Eversley told ESPN.
Entering Friday’s action, the Bulls ranked first in the NBA in pace (105.22 possessions for game) and had significantly increased their three-point rate since last season, launching 42.2 attempts per game, good for third in the league. By comparison, the 2023/24 Bulls finished 26th with 32.1 three-point attempts per contest.
“We don’t run, we’re done,” head coach Billy Donovan told his team last month. “It’s that simple. If we run, we’ll have some fun.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Chicago’s roster moves haven’t translated to on-court success so far this season. The team has a 3-6 record and has struggled defensively. Still, Giddey believes there’s a good foundation in place to build upon, per Collier. “We’ve got pieces,” Giddey said. “It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. It’s a really talented group and whether that’s the first week or the 15th, or somewhere in between, we’ll be where we’re meant to be. We are all buying into what we’re trying to do here.”
- The Bulls are still expected to explore the trade market in search of takers for veterans Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic later this season, Collier reports. For now, the focus is on rebuilding the duo’s value following a disappointing 2023/24 campaign. Both players are benefiting from Giddey’s play-making so far — Vucevic’s 58.1% field goal percentage would be a career high, while LaVine’s 49.5% mark would be the second-highest rate of his career.
- According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (video link), he recently asked an NBA general manager what sort of price he’d pay to acquire Vucevic. The GM responded that he’d give up “a couple of” second-round picks. Fischer adds that trading Vucevic during the season is probably more realistic for the Bulls than finding a viable in-season deal for LaVine.
Well he probably think his s— don’t stink neither. That’s what I’ve been saying all along..
Mate is good not great, a little more offense from him will take his game 2 next level in the meantime i say he’s a Ricky Rubio 2.0
That’s not a bad thing
On what planet is Giddey a very good defender?
Planet AKME, where the Bulls are also contenders!
I know one GM who won’t be getting him. Why would I trade a reasonably signed C for 2 crappy 2nd round picks? I’d just keep him for 2 years and give the finger to whoever came calling. I get that everybody is trying to fleece everybody but that’s complete crap.
I’m glad giddey found a place where he can play and thrive. okc just had better options and he was gonna be coming off the bench had he stayed. They’re off to a record start so far although Caruso is struggling some in his limited role so far.
Caruso is struggling with his shot but while he’s always been disruptive on defense he’s been even moreso this season. He leads the league with 3.7 deflections and is averaging 1.9 steals in only 19.2 minutes.
“… because they want to avoid a full-fledged roster tear-down…”
In favor of what, a fish-nor-fowl team with aging vets that are useless in a run and gun offense, as well as young one dimensional players who either can defend but not shoot, or shoot and not defend, or pass but not shoot?
Please, I beg all the tourists buying overpriced seats at the United Center to stop. Reinsdorf will never put a truly competitive team on the floor as long as the seats are filled.
The post game excuses after every loss are the same ones we have been hearing for several years. Donovan has to go, a complete teardown is the only solution to this mess. If AK does not know how to do that, then he also needs to go.
Whatever you think of Giddey, acquiring him not long before he’ll need to be paid is a stupid decision for a rebuilding club. That’s what you go for the picks instead, at least if you’d have confidence in your front office drafting well.
Shea, about taking those picks… fantasy sports folks (like me) will tell you that since 2000, in any major US pro sport, it’s been shown that the notion of one front office drafting better than another over a statistically significant period is false.
Why? Every team has the same information and, more important, a player’s post-draft improvement relative to the mean is impossible to predict. If you’re buying a future for a given player’s future performance, the only predictive indicator is his position in the draft, and not which team or GM picked them.
To know whether the Bulls should have accepted the picks instead of Giddey, you’d have to know more about those picks. Were they from a good or bad team (i.e., did they project as high or low)? Were they protected or not? How far into the future were they? You’ll find small difference, indistinguishable in some sports, between how different front offices value draft picks in this context, increasingly because they’re using the same models.
…and Patrick Williams is the #1 confidence deflater in regards to the front office’s ability to draft well. Think about this: they could have had Haliburton, instead of flailing about for several years trying to work without a pg or find one on the trade market. Even if you accept AKME’s premise that the original mid3 roster was built guy win-now title competition, which path would have been more consistent with that goal?
built for – thanks AI
Stevep-4 , every team missed on Halliburton. He went 12th in a weak all-around draft. And every team had Killian Hayes ranked ahead of Halliburton, just as Pat Williams was a consensus top 7 pick that year.
It’s an inexact science, and it’s impossible to predict a player’s improvement post-draft. Pat Williams was a better looking prospect than Halliburton at the time.
If we trade those two guys, solid 24 win team.
The Bulls’ commitment to mediocrity is ironclad, so why would they accept a trade for two first round picks? I’m just waiting for the Bulls to try to trade LaVine for Beal. Either that or give LaVine an extension whenever he’s eligible. God forbid they should try to do something to improve the team…
Bulls will show out enough to not be terrible, hence no lottery picks in the upcoming draft. Oh well, ownership doesn’t care about winning anyway.
If Bulla don’t finish with a bottom 10 record this year they lose their 1st pick in next year’s draft.
That draft is absolutely loaded, especially when you can potentially get a talent like Asa Newell 7th or 8th. Bulls need to trade LaVine for whatever they can get at the deadline, trade Vucevic, and tank the rest of the year allowing their young guys more court time.
Dalen Terry, Phillips, Buzelis, Ayo, J.Smith, C.White, Giddey, and Patrick Williams.. these are the guys they need to build around. Newell would be an excellent addition and fit perfectly with this group.
Giddey
White
Buzelis
Newell
J.Smith
Ayo
Terry
Phillips
Williams
Add in a couple pieces here and there, and at least they’re building towards something. They might not be very good at first, but they’ll get there with another pick and some vets around them.