3. Jusuf Nurkic, Power Forward/Center
The first time that the Nuggets really got to fleece the Bulls this decade on the trade market was back during the 2014 NBA Draft. With the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Bulls selected the seven-footer and “The Bosnian Beast” Jusuf Nurkic. But the Bulls jumped ship on Nurkic before he even got the chance to blossom in the Windy City.
On draft night 2014, the Bulls shipped out Nurkic and former Michigan State Spartans shooting guard Gary Harris for a return of former Creighton Blue Jays shooting guard/wing Doug McDermott. That was a pretty bad trade that didn’t pay much of any dividends for the Bulls. McDermott is now more effective for the divisional foe Indiana Pacers than he ever was for the Bulls.
The best season that Nurkic had in the NBA to date came last season with his current team, the Portland Trail Blazers. He played in 72 games with the Blazers last season (starting in every single one of them). Nurkic averaged 15.6 points per game, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.4 blocks. He shot 50.8 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to a career-best 57.0 true shooting percentage and 3.7 box plus/minus rating.
The Bulls could really use a big man like Nurkic. And Bulls fans will get to see what he can if he’s able to return from injury to play for the Blazers down the stretch this season. He has yet to make his debut this season.
Harris deserves some recognition in this spot since both he and Nurkic had valuable contributions for their various teams since the Bulls traded them on draft night 2014.