Grade the Trade: Bulls move up in the draft to select the next Derrick Rose
In this trade, the Chicago Bulls would be giving up two of their best players, but could receive a haul in the long-term. In this trade, the Bulls have a chance to get two excellent young pieces as well as a solid center. Looking into the best-guaranteed piece, Anfernee Simons has shown tremendous potential and development during his first five years in the league.
Simons is an electric scorer and averaged 21.1 points per game this season on 44.7/37.7/89.4 shooting splits. He is a really good three-point shooter, making 38.9% of his attempts over the last two seasons while averaging 8.4 three-point attempts per game, more than any player on the Bulls this season.
The addition of Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic could add much-needed shooting and rim protection to the Bulls.
The shooting that Simons brings to the table is huge for the Bulls, as Chicago struggled mightily from three this year, making just 10.4 threes per game which was the worst mark for any team in the NBA. Simons as a three-point shooter could really elevate the offense and bring it to the next level, as teams will have to respect another player’s abilities on the perimeter. Additionally, he has been able to penetrate well, scoring the ball well in the paint.
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Simons scored a career-high 45 points in this game against the Jazz, where he shot 15-for-25 from the field and 7-for-12 from deep. Simons has an unreal scoring ability at just 23 years old and is an underrated playmaker, averaging 4.1 assists this season. As a shooting guard, he will be a welcome addition to the team as he can liven up the offense.
His main weakness is his defense, however. He has been a below-average defender in his short time in the league, often contributing less effort on that side of the ball and getting caught watching. However, Simons has the athleticism to be an average defender in this league, he just needs to lock in and focus defensively, which will come as he develops. If the Bulls can help him gain focus on that side of the ball, Simons can be a solid defender and a potential all-NBA player.
This trade would also give the Bulls Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers’ 28-year-old starting center. After Nurkic’s freak injury in 2019, he has slowly come back and adjusted his game. He has attempted 205 threes in the 145 games he has played since coming back (34% shooting), which is a stark contrast from the 52 he attempted in his first 318 contests. His strengths lie in the pick-and-roll, where he uses his 6’11”, 290-pound frame to set strong screens that get his shooters open.
Additionally, he is a strong rebounder, averaging 9.8 rebounds over the last three seasons (2.5 of which are on the offensive glass). He has also averaged around 3 assists per game since coming back from injury, which shows that he is a solid passer as a center. Finally, Nurkic is a solid rim protector who would be a defensive upgrade from Nikola Vucevic if Vooch ends up being moved during the offseason.
One of the main concerns with Nurkic is his injury history. Over the last four seasons, he has not played 70% of his team’s games once, which is of slight concern to the Bulls especially considering the fact that Nikola Vucevic was able to play all 82 games this year. This could limit the upside potential of the Bulls’ trade, as it may not give as permanent of an answer at the center position as Chicago would have hoped.