As essentially a trade that sees the Bulls send two wings in exchange for two other wings from the Nuggets, a former draftee of Chicago lands back in his original spot. Former Michigan State Spartans shooting guard Gary Harris is a centerpiece of this trade deal along with the likes of small forward Otto Porter Jr. from the Bulls.
The Bulls send OPJ and fellow small forward and former Boise State Bronco Chandler Hutchison to the Nuggets for a return that includes Harris and former Memphis Tigers small forward Will Barton. Since Harris is paid just north of $17 million per year for the remaining three years of his contact, this is a decent risk to take on.
But taking on the risk of Harris might be worth it both since Karnisovas is familiar with him and his skill set and they get OPJ’s more roughly $28 million over the course of the next two years off the books. Landing Harris and the $12 million man that is Barton helps give a bit more freedom and versatility to the Bulls cap sheet.
And the Bulls would have to pay Hutch more than the roughly $3-4 million he’s getting per year on the remainder of his rookie contract by the time Barton and Harris come off their current deals. Getting two solid two-way wings and sharpshooters for the most part in Barton and Harris makes a lot of sense for the Bulls side of the discussion.