Former Chicago Bulls players who will find success elsewhere in 21-22: Daniel Theis
The Bulls had a lot of roster movement in the past season with big men named Daniel. At the trade deadline last season, Karnisovas and the Bulls dealt Gafford to the Wizards. And the Bulls landed fellow big man and veteran Daniel Theis at the trade deadline last season in a notable deal with the Boston Celtics.
What the Bulls got from the Celtics at the trade deadline last season was Theis and defensive standout shooting guard Javonte Green. To get Theis and Green, the Bulls gave up center Luke Kornet and flipped Mo Wagner to the Celtics.
It was a bit jarring that the Bulls let Theis walk in free agency over the summer, but wound up re-signing Green. The expectation was that the Bulls could make Theis a key part of the frontcourt rotation moving forward. The problem was that the asking price and market for Theis blew up during the offseason.
The Houston Rockets wound up signing Theis to a four-year contract worth a total of around $36 million. The Bulls were likely looking for a range of up to $7 million max to re-sign Theis this offseason. The front office also got a trade exception out of this deal with Theis going to the Rockets.
Nonetheless, Theis was very solid for the Bulls post-trade deadline last season. The Rockets have a roadmap as to how they can utilize Theis next season. He should be in for a big 2021-22 campaign.