Chicago Bulls: 4 best trades made over the last decade

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /

This trade looked better on the surface a year or two ago than it does now, but the Chicago Bulls definitely made a necessary move to ship D-Rose out of the Windy City back in 2016. The three-time NBA All-Star selection and former NBA MVP honoree Rose had not played in more than 51 games in any of his final five seasons with the Bulls.

Knee injuries were starting to ravage the career of D-Rose, and it didn’t get much better when he was traded to the New York Knicks during the 2016 offseason. He wasn’t able to revitalize his career until he landed with the Timberwolves last season. And he still managed to get a season-ending UCL tear after just over 50 games played last year.

The Bulls also sent defensively stout small forward Justin Holiday to the Knicks in this trade deal. But Holiday would land back in the Windy City shortly after being traded to the Knicks in this exchange during the 2016 offseason.

What the Bulls got in return here was solid, but not great. Veteran point guard Jose Calderon didn’t do much during his brief stint in the Windy City. And point guard Jerian Grant wasn’t as useful as GarPax had to be hoping he would be. But veteran center Robin Lopez was a great fit and a fan favorite with the Bulls for three seasons.

RoLo was one of the Bulls best players down the stretch last season, when head coach Jim Boylen was essentially working with a G-League level roster.

Calderon is now out of the NBA and Grant is playing for the G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards (Capital City Go-Go). Meanwhile, Holiday is now playing alongside his brother, point guard Aaron Holiday, with the Central Division foe Indiana Pacers.