Value of Portland Pick Drops, Jevon Carter’s Impact, What Else Will Bulls Add? And Other Bulls Bullets

Jul 01, 2023

Damian Lillard – as he’s done for much of the offseason – has thrust himself back into the spotlight.

A busy free agency period may now come to a screeching halt as teams turn their attention toward the availability of a true NBA superstar. Lillard finally requested a trade from the Trail Blazers on Saturday as they prioritize the development of young assets like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. According to reports, the Miami Heat are expected to be among the frontrunners to land the seven-time All-Star.

More on that here …

REPORT: Damian Lillard Has Finally Requested a Trade (Wants to go to Miami)

Lillard’s decision might spell trouble for the Chicago Bulls. Not only could he add some serious firepower to an Eastern Conference foe, but his departure puts the Trail Blazers in full-rebuild mode. In other words, the value of Portland’s lottery-protected first-rounder that Chicago happens to own has plummeted. The pick still has up until 2028 to convey before turning into a second-round pick, but who the heck knows how long the Trail Blazers will need to build a true playoff contender around 19-year-old Scoot Henderson?

So not only is the pick less interesting for Chicago to use in a trade, but the chance of Portland calling to change the protections or re-acquire the pick has gone down. As we’ve talked about numerous times, the pick has been holding up Portland’s ability to include other first-rounders in deals. The Stepien Rule prohibits teams from trading future firsts in back-to-back drafts, so because it’s possible the pick can convey any time between now and 2028, the Trail Blazers basically can not trade the majority of their other first-rounders. But, hey, they likely don’t need to now that they’re in a rebuild. What a bummer for the Bulls!

Do you know what wasn’t a bummer, though? Signing Jevon Carter to a three-year, $20 million deal. I got to give the front office a lot of credit for that move. Carter was on my list of preferred targets, but I honestly feared the price tag could creep too high after a great season with Milwaukee. Instead, Chicago locks up a potential starter on just a $6.7 million AAV. And he checks some major boxes for the team!

REPORT: Bulls Sign Free Agent Guard Jevon Carter (There’s That Shooting Help!)

The one thing I don’t want anyone to mistake Carter for is a high-end facilitator. If there is one main knock on the potential fit, it’s likely that. But he should still be viewed as a pretty significant roster upgrade. Carter will provide the kind of shooting that this team has severely missed. Not only is he a 39.7 percent shooter on his career, but he’s fresh off knocking down 42.1 percent of his 4.2 looks per game with the Milwaukee Bucks last year. This put him in the 94th percentile of shooters, per Dunks & Threes, so it’s very possible he becomes the second-best deep threat on this squad behind Zach LaVine.

Equally as valuable to Chicago will be the fact that he can plug right into the team’s top-5 defense. Carter – while only six-foot-one – has proven to be an incredibly pesky and scrappy defender. He sat second on the Bucks in steals behind Jrue Holiday last season. Most importantly, though, he has the quickness to chase his matchup all around the floor and the footwork to stay in front of them. If the Chicago Bulls wanted to replicate the first line of defense they had with Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball, this is one way to do that.

Also similar to Ball, I’m extremely excited about what Carter can help this team do in the fastbreak. While we can’t expect him to provide the same kind of explosive playmaking talent, he gets out ahead of the defense and finally gives the Chicago Bulls someone who can knock down transition 3s. There wasn’t any role player outside of Coby White who the Bulls could find in the corner or kick out to at the wing to knock down a shot. For a team that forced the 8th-most TOVs last season, that’s good news.

Carter wasn’t the only nice deal inked on Day 1 of free agency. The Chicago Bulls locked in Coby White on a potentially very team-friendly contract after easily the most well-rounded year of his career. More on that here:

Coby White Returns to the Chicago Bulls on a Three-Year Deal!

Now, I don’t want all this praise to sound like I’d be fine with the Chicago Bulls’ offseason work stopping here. If Karnisovas and Eversley are already on a plane to Cancun, the org remains in a very bleak position. The team still needs MORE shooting, as well as some more traditional size and length at the wing. Right now, they are in a position to put far too much on the plate of guys like Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips. At the end of the day, it’s clear they aren’t about to backtrack. And, with that being the case, they can’t continue to live in the middle. You have to continue to be aggressive, keep adding, and *gasp* think about going over the tax. Otherwise, it’s going to feel like the same old same old.

It might be time for folks to stop those complaining about Zach LaVine’s contract after seeing what guys like Fred VanVleet and Desmond Bane got on Friday. Let this sink in … VanVleet ($40.8 million) will make more money next year than LaVine ($40.1 million). The more these deals are signed, the more valuable LaVine’s contract will look and feel in the trade market.

To be clear, this isn’t to say I expect a trade at this point. The Chicago Bulls seem prime to run it back next year with a revamped supporting cast. But, if things fall through midway through the year, it’s nice to know LaVine’s contract may be a bit more appetizing to interested parties.

Shoutout to Thad. Miss that guy.

The Toronto Raptors have fully guaranteed Thaddeus Young’s $8 million salary for the 2023-24 season, league sources told @hoopshype.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 1, 2023

Now is a good time to remind you that Patrick Williams is officially extension eligible this offseason! Will the Chicago Bulls lock him up long-term or will they do what they did with Coby White and wait until Pat is an RFA? They have until the start of the season to reach a deal.

I’m perfectly fine with the Carter signing, but the fact Morris only cost a second-rounder has me thinking …

Compensation update: The Wizards are trading Monte Morris to the Pistons for a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Wizards will create a $9.8M Traded Player Exception.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023

The Chicago Bulls dropping this right before free agency really felt like they were trying to say “he’s not going anywhere.”

When you work out with DeMar, the work starts at 5 AM! pic.twitter.com/vuH6DIZ8gQ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 30, 2023

The Vasilije Micić rumors come to an end! The EuroLeague star is finally joining the NBA and signing a three-year deal with the Thunder.

EuroLeague G Vasilije Micić – one of Europe’s best and most accomplished players – has agreed on a 3-year, $23.5M deal to join the Thunder, Jason Ranne of @Wassbasketball tells ESPN. A two-time EuroLeague champion and an MVP, Micic brings a significant skillset and IQ to OKC. pic.twitter.com/SBjxHHRftJ— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023

Gotta love a guy coming to Chicago with a chip on his shoulder.

New Blackhawks Forwards Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno Have Something To Prove

Bears putting together a NICE secondary.

Bears Rookie Tyrique Stevenson Could Be Week 1 Starter

written by

Elias Schuster

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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