News broke out on Draft Day that Jimmy Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The deal sent guards Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the 7th pick, which resulted in F Lauri Markkanen, for Butler and the 17th pick, in which C Justin Patton was drafted.
Shockwaves were sent throughout the league as the first huge blockbuster trade was made. But after the move, pundits proclaimed that other stars like Paul George would be dealt but nothing else transpired. This allowed me to think about the future of the Chicago Bulls and also how good can Minnesota actually be after adding a star.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Around the league, the Timberwolves were touted as a franchise that are upcoming. While already having two stars in Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins, acquiring Jimmy Butler puts them over the top.
Minnesota now have a Big 3 and reports are Ricky Rubio is being shopped around to add a shooter. Since adding Butler, the SG, SF, and PF positions are locked up and if adding a shooter is a priority, he must play either PG or a big man position.
Obtaining a piece like Nikola Mirotic and putting Towns at center would make them extremely dynamic and hard to guard. Then Minnesota could sign a player like George Hill to give them stability at point guard and this lineup would be quite formidable.
Other players the T-Wolves could lure are Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry, Derrick Rose, or Kelly Olynyk. Any of the aforementioned players would give them a versatile and tough lineup to pair with their defensive minded head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Chicago Bulls
Fans of the once beloved Chicago Bulls are befuddled after the trade that sent away their former star guard. Now the direction of this team is ambiguous because of the weird mix of veterans and young players. It’s hard to tell whether the Bulls are all out rebuilding or just retooling.
Due to this trade, Chicago is now filled with young talent players like LaVine, Dunn, Denzel Valentine, and Bobby Portis. But also have older vets like Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and Robin Lopez. In my mind, the Bulls need to use their young assets and rebuild
First things first, Dwyane Wade and Rondo need to be bought out and let go into free agency. They’re still quality veterans but this team needs to build chemistry between the coach and young players. Then, trade Robin Lopez for a young player, a draft pick, or a salary dump contract.
Next, the newer young guys like LaVine and Dunn should be out there learning to play to with the older young guys like Valentine, Portis, and Paul Zipser. One bad season could equate to the number #1 pick and land a player like Michael Porter Jr.
A future star is needed to bring the Bulls back to the forefront and Porter Jr. could be that. Adding that to their already young core will keep the fans supporting the team.
