5 former players that have excelled since leaving the Chicago Bulls

This season, the Chicago Bulls were extremely disappointing, with many different flaws across the roster that were not previously seen. There have been many pushes for the front office to make moves to remedy these issues, but it is uncertain whether they will be able to fix them or not.

One question that many Bulls fans have is whether this could have been avoided, and the short answer is yes. There are, in fact, several players that the Chicago Bulls let go that could have put them in a better position than they are in today.

Bobby Portis is just the first of several former Chicago Bulls players the franchise should have never let get away.

5. Bobby Portis

Bobby Portis was certainly a controversial figure in the Bulls organization, but this was related to some issues with teammates rather than on-court problems. It’s hard to fault the franchise too much for moving on from Portis after punching Nikola Mirotic in practice, but the front office was responsible for that dysfunctional environment in the first place, not Portis.

Portis was a solid role player with Chicago, but he has truly found his place in Milwaukee. The big man has become one of the top 6th men in the league and is a fan favorite among Bucks fans.

Portis was a key player in Milwaukee’s title first championship since 1971, providing excellent shooting and presence on the boards. He has averaged 14+ points and 9+ rebounds each of the last two years and is shooting 49.6% from the field and 40.2% from three during his tenure with the Bucks. This is tremendous efficiency that the Bulls definitely have missed; this team simply hasn’t had a dependable shot-maker off the bench like him ever since.

4. Daniel Gafford

Daniel Gafford may be the least established player of the five mentioned in this article, but he has proven to be an excellent spark off the bench. The former second-round pick is a beast in the paint on both sides of the floor and has drastically outpaced all expectations most had for him entering the draft.

This season, he averaged 9 points per game and 5.6 rebounds with 1.3 blocks in just 20.6 minutes per game. He also had a 72.3% shooting percentage, which is ridiculous. Gafford is a tremendous lob threat, and this has led to an excellent highlight reel.

Daniel Gafford would be an excellent bench piece for any team in need of a physical big like the Chicago Bulls.

Gafford’s presence on the defensive end has been excellent as well, being a high-quality shot blocker.

This is something that the Chicago Bulls have lacked since acquiring Nikola Vucevic to be the starting center and take a more offensively-oriented approach. They tried to fill this void with Andre Drummond, as a paint presence who is a strong rebounder, but Drummond is not as good of a defender.

Gafford was an extremely cheap signing who could have been a top center off the bench for the Bulls, providing more lineup flexibility and a strong complement to Vucevic, who does not have the rim protection abilities that Gafford has. While Gafford may not be a star, he is a player that would have fit perfectly with the Bulls’ current lineup, and it is a shame that the team did not see this.

3. Wendell Carter Jr.

Another former member of the Bulls’ frontcourt is Wendell Carter Jr., the new starting center for the Orlando Magic. Carter was a piece in the blockbuster trade the Bulls made to land Nikola Vucevic, the effects of which are still hurting the team to this day.

Wendell was the second of three straight 7th overall picks, a stretch that included Lauri Markkanen, Carter Jr., and Coby White. Carter has been really solid for the Magic since the trade, averaging 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in his two full seasons with the team. The Duke product is shooting the ball well and has even become a serviceable three-point shooter. This season, he was taking just under 4 threes a game and shot 35.6% from deep.

Wendell Carter Jr.’s drastic improvement after leaving the Bulls is definitely cause for concern.

Carter has been a beast on the boards, and this has even translated into helping the Magic win games even at a time winning isn’t a priority for Orlando.

Carter has been able to get it done on both sides of the ball, being adept in the pick-and-roll and protecting the paint.

The improvement that Carter has seen in the 2.5 seasons since leaving Chicago has been remarkable, and it is proving that the Bulls likely lost the Vucevic trade, especially considering the solid center that the Bulls had under their nose.

2. Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen was actually acquired in the trade for Jimmy Butler, so when theorizing these what-if scenarios, we cannot assume that they would have played together. However, it hurts to see that one of the best player development stories in the NBA today only improved once he got out of Chicago.

This year’s Most Improved Player award winner was dominant in his first season with the Utah Jazz, averaging 25.6 points per game on 49.9/39.1/87.5 shooting splits and adding 8.6 boards. These are some ridiculous numbers, and ironically enough, the Finnisher outpaced both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in points per game this season. He was one of few scoring options on the team, but it does leave a sour taste to see he has finally become the player many of us believed he could be for another team.

Markkanen’s time with Chicago was tumultuous, to say the least. He had incredible promise as a scorer averaging 18.7 PPG in just his second season. However, there were growing concerns with Markkanen’s effort, especially on the defensive end.

The Bulls must learn to be patient with the development of their prospects after giving up on Lauri Markkanen too early.

This led to the forward falling out of favor with the franchise and eventually being acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade. The 7-footer transitioned to a small forward role, where he was able to improve defensively and score the ball fairly well. Then in Utah, Markkanen became the number 1 option and was a human highlight reel.

This season, the Bulls struggled to score the ball, especially outside of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Certainly, this team could have used a 25 PPG scorer, especially one that they already had on the team.

1. Jimmy Butler

This might be the most obvious pick for regretful decisions made during the GarPax era. Jimmy Butler, a budding star who had already amassed All-Defensive team selections, a Most Improved Player award, and even an All-NBA Third-Team pick, was involved in a trade that might have the highest impact on the roster today.

This trade sent over a disappointment in Kris Dunn, a future starter in Lauri Markkanen, and most importantly the Chicago Bulls’ current max player in Zach LaVine. Despite this, Jimmy Butler’s performances like the one on Monday add to the regret that Bulls fans face.

Games like Jimmy Butler’s 56-point performance in Game 4 against the Bucks make Chicago Bulls fans wonder what could have been.

Jimmy Butler has a history of being a winning player but has never had a better roster when he loses. Butler has led each of his three teams since leaving Chicago, and in more recent seasons he has seen immense success. He led the Philadelphia 76ers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals where they were knocked out by one of the most memorable shots in recent NBA history: Kawhi Leonard’s game 7 buzzer beater.

After that, Jimmy Butler found his way to the Miami Heat, where he went on a ridiculous playoff run in the 2020 bubble. This included instances where he would single-handedly will his team to victory, as he did in both a 35-point and 40-point triple-double in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Monday’s showing gave the Bulls a reminder that even at 33 years old, Jimmy G Buckets (The G stands for Gets) still has the killer instinct to be a superstar in the league. If the Bulls were able to keep him in Chicago, they might have been playing for much higher stakes in recent years.