Chicago Bulls: 4 best trades made over the last decade

GarPax started off the 2010’s right for the Chicago Bulls with this trade deal that landed them star veteran big man Carlos Boozer from the Utah Jazz for a return of Mario Austin and a second round draft pick. This trade seemed like highway robbery at the time for the Bulls, but was part of a sign-and-trade deal.

The two best sign-and-trade deals that the Bulls seemingly pulled off during the 2010’s came in the first and last years of the decade. They landed Boozer from the Jazz for a return of a 2003 second round draft pick, small forward Mario Austin, and a future second round draft pick that resulted in the pick of Malcolm Lee.

Boozer signed with the Bulls for around $14 million per year. And although he didn’t have any All-Star seasons with the Bulls, he provided them with the star big man they wanted to place alongside D-Rose. His first three seasons with the Bulls went well, as he produced borderline All-Star-caliber numbers. The last seasons didn’t go as well for Boozer in a Bulls uniform.

Boozer finished out his NBA career during the 2014-15 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, at the age of 33.

However, during his four seasons with the Bulls, Boozer posted impressive numbers. He had 22.6 win shares, a 17.4 player efficiency rating, while registering solid per game stats. Boozer averaged 15.5 points per game, nine rebounds, and two assists, during his four seasons with the Bulls.

And the story behind former second round draft pick Austin was interesting since he never played in a single game with either the Bulls or the Jazz. He did get a handful of brief Summer League stints. Lee also never played in a single game with the Jazz.