The Chicago Bulls made a trade that was a bit out of character on Saturday....
The Chicago Bulls made a trade that was a bit out of character on Saturday, when they used some of their salary cap space to pick up draft assets. I don't think this is a deal that even needs a grade from the Bulls perspective simply because it is very obviously a win for the franchise.
We don't need to go overboard and have a week-long celebration for Arturas Karnisovas and Co. for pulling off an objectively good deal, but they do deserve credit considering the amount of criticism they take for their more debatable moves.
Saturday's trade was primarily about the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers making a swap in which Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder were sent to Cleveland, and De'Andre Hunter was sent to Sacramento.
In order to make the trade work, the two sides needed a third team to facilitate the deal by taking on the $5.4 million salary of Daric Saric.
Chicago capitalized on this need, taking on the salary and nabbing a pair of future second round picks in the process. Karnisovas has picked up a reputation as an executive who prefers to lock in on a player that he likes, and do a one-for-one trade, despite those deals being rare and not desirable for most teams.
In a subsequent move, Jevon Carter was waived to make space for Saric's roster spot. Saric has not played much at all this season, with the most he has played in a game being 16 minutes in late October. Last season, Saric averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game for the Denver Nuggets, ahead of joining the Kings in a trade that sent Jonas Valanciunas to Denver.
The timing of Carter move was surely bittersweet for he and Bulls fans, who watched the Chicagoland native scored 11 points over 20 minutes in Saturday's win over the Miami Heat before being waived later that same night.
Chicago now moves forward with seven second round picks in tow, providing them with the type of flexibility that has been escaping them for quite some time.
The Bulls could choose to work the 6-foot-10 Saric into their rotation, include him in another deadline deal, or waive him to make space for another player. But regardless of what Chicago chooses to do with Saric, taking on his contract to acquire two second round picks is simply good business for a young squad that is still firmly in building stage.