Trade Season Officially Begins, The Last Dance, Strus’ ACL, and Other Bulls Bullets

Fun fact that is not basketball-related: I got a weighted blanket as an early gift, so I threw it on my bed last night before catching some Zzs.

And let me tell you, those Zzs hit different.

The blanket makes it feel like you’re getting snuggled by a polar bear all night – well, without the whole “terrified it has an ulterior motive to lure you into slumber so it can eat you for dinner” kind of thing (Michael: I’m not sure a polar bear would need you to be asleep to eat you for dinner…).

Anyway, 10/10 recommend.

  • WE GOT ONE!
  • Our walk through the North American trade desert has been long and tiring, but finally, we’ve reached an oasis – it may not be the coldest, freshest water, but I’ll take what I can get! SLURP!
  • ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced the first trade since Oklahoma City swapped Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook back in July. Yeah, it’s been THAT long. While swapping Jordan Clarkson for Dante Exum isn’t the most fun trade to (hopefully) jump-start this season, both are still considered young, rotational pieces in the NBA. Cleveland, a team in the midst of a rebuild, netted a 24-year-old former No. 5-overall pick and two second-round picks … which is a pretty solid return for a backup guard on an expiring contract. Utah, who’s in win-now mode, can certainly make use of Clarkson, who is averaging 14.6 points per game.
  • Focusing on Cleveland though, not only is this move relevant to the Bulls as a division rival but it also kind of sets an expected market price. As we discussed, the Bulls should be willing to send out feelers on nearly any of their talent. Based on prior reports, we know the Bulls have been open to dealing Kris Dunn during this offseason. Obviously, things change and he’s proven to be of great use, but it’s not crazy to think a contender might be interested in a backup, top-defensive guard. Considering Dunn makes up for his lack of offense with elite defense, it’s possible the Bulls could net a very similar return as the Cavaliers. Is that enough for you to pull the plug on Dunn though?
  • If the Bulls were able to somehow finagle a better young piece into the deal, I’d think about it (though, that’s unlikely). A player like Exum is injury-riddles, and the Bulls are trying to play a bit more competitive this season than the Cavaliers. Also, it’s hard to say whether two second-round picks exceed the value Dunn is providing to the Bulls right now. Regardless, this trade could set some kind of foundation for what teams like the Bulls could expect for a rotational specialist moving forward.
  • FWIW: I also have no gut feeling the Bulls will trade anyone right now … so most of these conversations might just be hot air.
  • IT’S HAPPENING!!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!
  • Excuse me while I watch this trailer 23 times.
  • OUCH. This hits HARD.
  • NOOOOOOOO.
  • The Bulls announced last night that two-way player Max Strus suffered a torn ACL during the Windy City Bulls recent game. I know Strus wasn’t even going to clock many minutes for the big-boy roster this season, but this always stinks to see a young player have to go through an injury like this. Not to mention, Strus was lighting it up recently in the G-League, and you can check out some of his highlights here. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Max!
  • NBC Sports Chicago’s Michael Walton asked the question: Why not Jeff Green? The Utah Jazz recently released the forward, and with the Bulls obvious lack of depth at the wing, it’s a move that would make some sense, but that doesn’t mean we should expect it to happen.
  • If there is any perk to the Bulls losing last night, it would be this.
  • Zach LaVine slow-mo dunks make the pain go away.
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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