During Thursday’s NBA Draft, the Bulls and Timberwolves pulled the trigger on a trade for Jimmy Butler that had been a year in the making.
Bulls waited a year to make the same terrible Jimmy Butler trade
The Wolves needed a year to think about things.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Bulls sent Butler and the No. 16 pick to the Wolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 pick in the draft. Butler is reunited with Tom Thibodeau in the trade, who coached him from 2011 until 2014, when Thibodeau was fired.
While the trade was somewhat of a shock, it shouldn’t have been.
The Bulls and Wolves nearly executed the same trade exactly 364 days ago. In 2016, the Wolves offered LaVine, and the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, which they used to select Kris Dunn. The Bulls were reportedly willing to move on that deal, and the Wolves couldn’t.
Even after the Wolves selected Dunn, the Bulls were still trying to make a deal — but the Wolves wouldn’t commit.
Time will tell, but the Wolves may have been better off doing the trade last year. They wouldn’t have had to move back in the draft this year.
Proposed Jimmy Butler trade in 2016
Bulls get | Wolves get |
|---|---|
| Zach LaVine | Jimmy Butler |
| No. 5 pick (Kris Dunn) |
They would have ended up giving the Bulls less in the deal — but it really doesn’t matter unless Markkanen becomes a superstar, which isn’t likely. This trade was a steal for the Wolves.
The trade still works out the same for the Bulls, but it’s not a good trade. They sold low on Butler.
The Bulls added young pieces in LaVine, Dunn, and Markkanen, but it’s not going to make them better immediately.
All that happened, was the Bulls waited a year to make a trade that wasn’t great.
Now, the Wolves have a trio of Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns that should be near the top of your League Pass watch list.
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