Chicago Bulls: 3 former players the team currently misses

Former Chicago Bulls players the team should miss: Daniel Gafford

You could argue that the Bulls got more value out of the gates a few seasons ago from the former Arkansas Razorbacks rim-running center Daniel Gafford compared with the former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard, Coby White. Gafford is still one of the better finds among the 2019 second-round draft picks up through this point of the 2021-22 campaign.

At the trade deadline last season, the Bulls dished out Gafford to the Washington Wizards for the return that included shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr. The Bulls also shipped off small forward Chandler Hutchison to the Wizards in the deal that landed them TBJ.

It is clear at this point that the Wizards got more value out of this trade deal than the Bulls. But executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are not going to hit on every single trade.

Nonetheless, it would still be nice to have the depth present in the frontcourt unit if Gafford were still in the mix. He’s having a sensational start to this season with the Wizards. Through eight games played, he’s registered a stellar 3.7 box plus/minus and 24.2 player efficiency rating. He’s also averaging around 17 points per 36 minutes, nine rebounds, and four blocks.

Gafford is one of those trades in hindsight that doesn’t look great now for the Bulls. But as I already mentioned, not every trade is going to come out on top for the Bulls.