The Chicago Bulls traded for recent Top-5 pick Jaden Ivey at the NBA Trade Deadline. It was a worthwhile flier to take in a vacuum to see if Ivey can recapture his star trajectory, but there is one massive problem: the Bulls are not built for Ivey to grow.
The problem for Ivey on the Detroit Pistons was twofold. First, he broke his leg and missed most of his third season, stunting his development. More concerningly, he was on a team with a burgeoning on-ball star in Cade Cunningham. The Pistons would be foolish not to put the ball in Cunningham's hands, but it forced Ivey to play primarily off-the-ball.
To his credit, he worked hard to improve as an offball shooter and cutter. He developed some chemistry with Cunningham and they had their moments together. Ultimately, however, his upside was stunted and he was eventually dumped to the Bulls before the Pistons had to pay him this summer.
Trading for Ivey makes sense in a vacuum; can a new environment unlock his upside? He was the No. 5 pick just a few years ago and a college star. Could he regain that level of production and start putting up big numbers on another team?
Chicago is not the best place for Jaden Ivey
Perhaps -- but not in Chicago. The Bulls may have moved on from Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu but they are still absolutely loaded with guards and ball-handlers. Josh Giddey is a non-shooting on-ball playmaker and the centerpiece of the Chicago offense. Anfernee Simons wants the ball in his hands. Tre Jones is best with the ball. Rob Dillingham's upside is as an on-ball scoring threat. Collin Sexton is an on-ball scorer.
There simply is not going to be a large role in the offense as an on-ball shot creator and playmaker for Ivey; that's not how the Bulls are built. They will be putting two and three ball-dominant players on the court at one time. It's the Cade problem all over again for Ivey, except this time, Giddey doesn't bring the shooting that Cunningham does. The court will be even more shrunken in Chicago.
Ivey can find his way to survive in such a role. He is an improved shooter and can knock down 3-pointers as his teammates attack or cut his way into open space. He will move the ball and has grown in his ability to move without the ball as well. Detroit may have decided not to pay him, but Ivey is an NBA player, even if the role he is in isn't optimized.
The Bulls don't need that version of Ivey, however. If he is going to be of any value to them, they need him to be an on-ball star. And that's not going to happen in Chicago. They invested in one of those already in Josh Giddey, and he and Ivey are not a dream pairing. If the Bulls don't realize that now, they soon will.
Chicago can let him walk this summer, or they can offer him a modest contract. If they invest heavily in Jaden Ivey, however, it will only be exacerbating the problem. Taking a flier on a young, talented player is fine. Setting him up to fail? That's what doesn't make much sense.