Chicago Bulls: 4 best trades made over the last decade

The thought of where the Chicago Bulls would be if they tried to retain the forward duo that was Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker is hard to fathom with how much they’re struggling this season anyway. The Bulls shipped Parker and Portis out to the Wizards for a solid return of small forward Otto Porter Jr. It’s just a shame that OPJ spent most of this season injured. This trade deal happened around the 2019 deadline.

Portis is a former first round draft pick of the Bulls out of the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball program, and he had a decent stint in the Windy City. But the dollar amount he was looking to get last offseason coming off his rookie contract was too much. The Knicks wound up signing him to a two-year contract worth just over $30 million.

Considering where the Bulls needs lied last offseason, re-signing Portis likely just wasn’t in the cards. That’s mostly why this was a good move on GarPax’s part, at least pertaining to Portis’ contract situation.

But Parker would’ve been an even bigger problem if GarPax wanted to try and get him back after last season. The idea that GarPax floated of starting Parker at the three was horrible and turned out to be an immediate failure. Getting him out of the Windy City as quick as possible was a good idea.

Parker is doing much better after signing with the Atlanta Hawks last season. He’s posting a player efficiency rating of 17.8 so far this season.

Meanwhile, OPJ would be a very valuable piece of this Bulls starting five if he is to return from a hairline fracture on his foot anytime soon. But that timetable to return from that foot injury is looking around the All-Star Break next month.