One of the biggest misses and what-ifs in Bulls draft history 10 years later

On June 26th, the Chicago Bulls selected Matas Buzelis with the 11th pick in the NBA Draft. Instantly, draft grades were given for the selection and predictions were made as how he will do as a Chicago Bull. After a strong Summer League, Buzelis seems like the potential steal of the draft.

The only true way to evaluate a draft is to allow father time to run its course. We can project, debate, and argue, but the only way to assess a selection is to allow it play out over time.  Ten years ago the Chicago Bulls were one of the elite teams in the league vying for an NBA championship. We can now objectively look back at the 2014 NBA draft and take an in-depth look on how it affected the Bulls in the short and long term.

State of the Chicacgo Bulls in 2013-14

Signs were already appearing that D-Rose era would not produce the coveted 7th NBA Championship for the Bulls. For how promising of a start Derrick Rose had to his career, he could not stay healthy. Even more problematic was the tension between Coach Tom Thibodeau and front office combination of Gar Forman and John Paxson had become publicly visible.

The Bulls had already made the controversial move in January of 2014 and flipped, fan favorite, Luol Deng for 2nd round draft picks. A move that opened up room for a young Jimmy Butler, but more importantly kept the Bulls away from paying the dreaded luxury tax, a repeated theme for the Bulls in the last 25 years.

It was becoming more evident the front office was greasing the wheels to move in a different direction. However, Tom Thibodeau’s style of hard nosed, compete every second, no fluff basketball was still the voice of the Bulls.

Not surprisingly Thibodeau galvanized the troops after the Deng trade (Bulls sat at .500 in early January). Joakim Noah had a career year that would have him finish 4th in MVP voting and the Defensive Player of the Year. The Bulls went on to finish 14 games above .500 with a 48-win mark in a turbulent year. The Bulls were back in the playoffs, but that appearance would be brief as the Bulls were upended by the Wizards in 5 games in the first round.

The front office was caught in between the wind much like the 2023-24 Bulls. They had draft capital, but not much cap space. They were entrenched in the Tom Thibodeau blue collar style led by Joakim Noah. The fanbase was still clinging to the hope that hometown hero Derrick Rose would return from injury and lead the Bulls to the franchise 7th Championship, but the reality is that he could no longer be counted on. The question that GarPax were grappling with is to keep this core together or begin towards moving to a post-Rose Chicago team that would most likely center around Jimmy Butler.

Now let's take a look at who they picked and the ripple effect it had on the Bulls future.

Bulls 2014 Draft picks

First Round

#16 (Acquired via Tyrus Thomas Trade)
# 19

Second Round

#49

The Bulls were sitting in a decent position, they had two picks in the middle of the first round. The Bulls had holes to fill as Kirk Hinrich was a free agent and they were actively shopping Carlos Boozer.

Draft Day Trade

The Chicago Bulls decided to move up in the draft and traded both their first round picks and a 2015 2nd prick to the Denver Nuggets for the #11 overall pick in the draft and former 2008 first round pick Anthony Randolph.

The Selections

First Round - 11th Pick - Doug McDermott from Creighton
Second Round - 49th Pick - Cameron Bairstow form

Why They Made This Pick

The Bulls had an elite defense and they came into the 2013-14 season as legit title contenders. The Vegas oddsmakers had Chicago as the 3rd best chance to win an NBA title behind Cleveland and Oklahoma City. They were projected to win 57.5 games. However, the same song played out.  D-Rose could not stay healthy and after slow start the Bulls traded Deng.

They had a top-rated defense in 2013-14, but one of the worst offenses. They lacked floor spacers as the NBA was shifting to the 3-point era that was caused by the Golden State dynasty. The Bulls had a need for a wing shooter that could step-in and play immediately and McDermott fit that bill.

The Bulls decided to move up five spots in the draft and trade both of their first round selections to select the National Player of the Year in  Doug McDermott from Creighton. A 6-foot-6 Wing that shot 46 percent from beyond the arc in college. GarPax hoped they filled that need for the team. However, in Coach Thibs fashion, he was hellbent on making every rookie prove his worth, a formula that idd not mix well for the defensive-challenged McDermott or the franchise.defensive end.

Sidenote

The Austrialian big man, Cameron Bairstow, who was selected in the second round pick would be a footnote. He would play 36 games in two years before moving overseas to continue his career.

What kinds of reactions did the Bulls get to their controversial choice?

Reaction to the trade and the draft in 2014

The Bulls went with the proven college product that fit one of the glaring needs for the team. At the time, the pick made sense. ESPN Chad Ford graded the draft an A for the Bulls, but also highlighted the underlying question.

"He's a home run for the Bulls at No. 11. I'm not sure how Tom Thibodeau will feel about McDermott's defense, but offensively, he's perfect for the Bulls." -Chad Ford

However, Kevin Pelton with ESPN had a much different take on the trade and draft. Pelton gives the Bulls a grade of a D for the trade. Pelton Recognizes that they paid too much to move up for the 11th pick. He noted that it was likely the Bulls made the move to save money. Shocker.

Pelton gave the Nuggets an A for the trade as they acquired two players they were after. Jusuf Nurkic (#16) and Gary Harris (#16) have been solid NBA players. Throw in the fact they drafted Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick and that and the Nuggets had a draft that would change the trajectory of the franchise.

2014-2015 Season

McDermott was a non-factor as Tom Thibedou prioritized veterans and defense. The season was fairly successful even without notable production from McDermott. The Bulls were able to use the amnesty clause to rid themselves of the Boozer contract and turned that into signing Pau Gasol. They were also able to add shooting with European hideaway in Nikola Mirotic. They got 52 games out of Derrick Rose and the Bulls marched to a 50-win season.

They would face, arch-nemesis, LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs. A valiant effort by the club, but they would succomb to James and Co. in a tough six games series after being ahead 2-1. Surprisingly even after having a largely successful year, this would be the last game Tom Thibedou would coach for the the Chicago Bulls. The GarPax regime decided it was time to move in a different direction. Unfortunately, they did not know which way they wanted to head. The 2014-15 season was the last time the Bulls were truly relevant in the NBA. 

But how does it look 10 years later?

Ten years later, how did this draft/trade go down in history?

20/20 is hindsight, but this has not played well over time. An overall grade of an F would be fitting. This is not to say McDermott was a bad player or a bad gamble, but it represented the rift between the coaching staff and ownership. Before the Bulls made this deal, there had to be some conversation or understanding about how they were going to develop McDermott for the price they paid to get him. Based on what happended, it does not appear an understanding existed.

The Bulls moved up in the draft to try to fulfill a definite need in 3-point shooting and Thibs iced McDermott on the bench. McDermott averaged 8 minutes in only 36 games his rookie season. Thibedou was fired and the Bulls brought in Fred Hoiberg. In the 2015-16 season, McDermott's playing time increased substantially as he played in 82 games and averaged 23 minutes per game. He shot a healthy 42 percent from 3-point range and averaged 10 points per game for the 41-41 Bulls. It seemed like GarPax maybe were onto something.

However, McDermott's time in Chicago would be brief. Where the draft pick and trade becomes under more scrutiny is that the Bulls were quick to pivot from McDermott .The Bulls would trade McDermott the following trade deadline in 2016-2017 with Taj Gibson and a 2nd round pick for a flyer on Cameron Payne and others from the OKC Thunder. Cameron Payne would not work out for the Bulls and they would release him 2018-2019 season.

In a deep draft, the Bulls decided to move up and trade the player before the end of his rookie contract. The perplexing move was that McDermott was showing signs of improvement and they dealt him for a minimal return after giving up significant value to get him.

The trade for and selection of McDermott represents the Bulls struggled to find a lane to pick during that time. They could not decide to continue to develop around the Noah-Rose core or move forward and build around Butler. In retrospect, it feels like the move would be to build around Jimmy Butler and make him a legend in Chicago.

The Bulls needed to hit on the pick in the 2014 draft. They had championship aspirations and needed to add key pieces to a roster to challenge LeBron James. They were unable to do that or acquire a piece for the future. Ultimately, this draft has to be a considered a failure for the Bulls.

The Big What-if ...

What if the Bulls drafted Zach LaVine with the #11 pick. That would have certainly changed future decisions the Bulls made.