Chicago Bulls: 3 most untouchable players in trade talks

2. Wendell Carter Jr., Center

The last two first round draft picks for the Bulls are ones that would be difficult for any other team to nab in trade conversations. And the first of those two is the former Duke Blue Devils 6-foot-9 and 260 pound second-year center Wendell Carter Jr. The Bulls seventh overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft also provided mixed results thus far.

Prior to the season getting placed on pause, WCJ played in 43 games. In those 43 games, he averaged 11.3 points per game, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals, while shooting 53.4 percent from the field, 20.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.7 percent from the charity stripe.

There were some statistical areas that WCJ improved from his rookie to his second-year in the NBA. But he largely took a step back thanks to some usage inefficiencies from Boylen down the stretch this season. He did register a 2.4 box plus/minus rating, -0.1 value over replacement player rating, .127 win shares per 48 minutes, and 59.0 true shooting percentage.

The advanced metrics also don’t give a consistent picture as to how good WCJ was in certain areas this season. His 115 offensive rating does indicate growth on that end of the floor. But this new look Bulls front office should allow WCJ to utilize his court vision and versatile defensive skill set more freely and hopefully Boylen won’t be the one running the show for him night in and night out.