The Chicago Bulls' trade history is nothing to praise. Conversely, it's not as bad as one might think. In recent years, the Bulls acquired All-Stars Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen for a disgruntled Jimmy Butler and an overvalued Justin Patton. A year later, Chicago sent Nikola Mirotic to New Orleans in a package including a 2018 first-round pick. Mirotic would go on to suit up for only 76 more games.
However, the 2019 trade that sent Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker, and a 2023 second-rounder to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Otto Porter Jr. was a risk not worth taking. Porter Jr. played merely 54 games in one and a half seasons in the Windy City, while Portis has been a mainstay in the Sixth Man of the Year race for years.
The Bulls' trade history has its ups and downs
The 2021 trade deadline swap with the Orlando Magic is enigmatic. Chicago added Nikola Vucevic, who's averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds as a Bull. Nonetheless, the Bulls sent then-21-year-old Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-round picks for Vucevic with only one playoff win to show for it. At the same deadline, Chicago shipped out Daniel Gafford only to receive Daniel Theis and Troy Brown Jr., who are both no longer in the NBA.
On a positive note, Chicago acquired DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball in separate sign-and-trades for pennies on the dollar in the summer of 2021. Although a lack of postseason success and the ultimate disbandment of the DeRozan-led squad were swift, the deals should be seen as wins.
After a myriad of moves in 2021, the Bulls held steady until 2024, when DeRozan was sent to Sacramento and Caruso to Oklahoma City. The former move existed merely to facilitate DeRozan to his next team, while the Giddey-for-Caruso swap, heavily criticized at the time, is considered a win-win for both franchises involved.
The 2025 trade deadline brought about another veteran purge, which saw LaVine sent to team up with DeRozan in Sacramento. In exchange, Chicago received its 2025 first-round pick (no longer protected), Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and Kevin Hueter. Not an awe-inspiring return, yet the transaction came to fruition to escape LaVine's remaining $143 million.
The Kings' trade history is far more ill-conceived
Months later, the trade is far more well-conceived from the Bulls' standpoint following the Kings' abrupt play-in exit. Yet, it's not the only blunder Sacramento has made as of late. In the summer of 2022, the Kings sent Justin Holiday, Mo Harkless, and a future first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the aforementioned Huerter.
The rationale at the time of the trade was that Huerter's spacing would help the flow of an offense spearheaded by the inside-the-arc oriented duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. While Huerter proved to be a worthwhile addition from the get-go, his shooting efficiency fell off a cliff, and the Kings opted for defense over Huerter's once-prominent spot-up shotmaking.
Huerter had been shooting only 30.2 percent from beyond the arc in his third season in Sacramento before being exiled to Chicago. As a Bull, the former Terrapin was far more impactful. He upped his scoring average from 7.9 to 13.2 and increased his three-point conversion rate to 37.6 percent.
The Kings sent a first-rounder for a player no longer rostered
The Kings' trade for Huerter was a flop, no doubt, especially considering the future draft pick Sacramento sent to Atlanta will ultimately be conveyed in this year's draft. The Kings owe the Hawks their 2025 NBA Draft pick from the deal, but it's worth noting the pick is top-12 protected.
Unfortunately for Sacramento, their odds of landing in the top 12 of the draft are minimal. The Kings have only a 3.8 percent chance of landing anywhere besides 13th or 14th. Thus, it's 96.2 percent likely Sacramento's 2025 first-round pick will be conveyed to Atlanta. Coincidentally, a stroke of luck for the Hawks, as their first-rounder was sent to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Dejounte Murray in 2022.
The fallout of Fox's trade request has left the Kings with the fourth-oldest roster in the association. Sacramento is now an old team coming off a play-in tournament loss that also doesn't own its first-round pick because of a trade to build a better team around its former star player.
As for the Bulls, instead of utilizing the Kings' newfound method of aspiring to be wholly average, they've seemingly shifted their once-similar strategy into one focused on rebuilding. Bulls fans can finally rejoice and look forward to what the future has to offer with a roster led by a 20, 22, and 25-year-old, and soon-to-be lottery pick. The same cannot be said of the downtrodden Kings, who possess a roster eerily similar to the 2021-24 Bulls that maxed out at 46 wins.