As I have been alluding to in my other articles, Orlando did a great job navigating some big deals one after the other. In this one, they get 2 first round picks for a Bulls squad that isn’t guaranteed to make the playoffs on top of a young prospect who hasn’t quite had a chance to shine similar to RJ Hampton. Carter is only in his third season and is averaging a respectful 10.9 points, 2.2 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 24 minutes a game. Both Harris and Carter will play closer to 30 minutes a game giving them a real chance to showcase their talents. RJ will come off the bench most likely getting somewhere close to 20 minutes which would be more than double the playing time he sees now.
I haven’t even mentioned Otto Porter Jr. who is only 2 years removed from a 17 point per game season. If the 27-year-old can’t get things together, the Magic can simply let him walk as an unrestricted free agent this season. He is another young player who will have a chance to reinvent himself with a bigger role on a team that has no expectations for him at all.
Starting off a rebuild is not always an easy task, just look at the Houston Rockets who are the bar none worst franchise I have ever seen in my lifetime this season. When they traded James Harden, they elected to take Victor Oladipo to flip him at the deadline. What did they end up getting for him you may ask? Avergy Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a draft swap. How they can make a trade like this without getting either Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson is one of the stranger things I have seen this entire season. First year GM Rafael Stone clearly has no idea what he is doing after getting promoted following the departure of Daryl Morey. Now the only things the Rockets have are Christian Wood and a massive John Wall contract they will have no choice but to sit on for years to come.
Juxtapose that to Orlando and realize how much management can make a difference in the NBA.
For the Bulls, they got the number one target at the deadline. They are currently 1 and a half games out of the 8th seed with a 19-24 record. A move like this obviously gives them a massive chance to move up in the standing. The 2-time All-Star is averaging 24.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 11.8 rebounds. Zack Lavine will be seeing a lot of pick and roll action with the big man, making for one of the best scoring tandems in the NBA. While neither of these guys have proven themselves on the big stage, they will have every chance in the world to show themselves to be more than stat sheet stuffers for the remainder of the NBA season.
The Bulls will have the 29 year old for at least the next two seasons before he is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 making this trade even more secure. The Bulls are expecting this move to make them better than the Hawks, Hornets, and Knicks in their pursuit for the playoffs and I think they may have done that. Charlotte will be without rookie phenom Lamelo Ball and could fall quickly in the standings while the Knicks will be dealing with the one of the hardest second half schedules in the league.
It sounds strange to say, but I do not believe it is do or die for the Bulls making the playoffs this season. Chicago is still transitioning with new head coach Billy Donovan who has proven he can lead teams to the playoffs. It may take time to for the team to synergize and it could take an entire offseason of moves as well.
