The Whiteboard: The Chicago Bulls got a good return for Justin Holiday
By Ti Windisch
There haven’t been a lot of good things happening for the Chicago Bulls this season, but the Justin Holiday deal is actually really solid.
Metaphorically dunking on the Chicago Bulls is fun, as is metaphorically dunking on any NBA franchise that just can’t seem to get out of its own way. That said, the Bulls actually found themselves a nice return when they dealt Justin Holiday to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Holiday is a solid 3-and-D wing player, but the 29-year-old is not as useful to the Bulls as future assets are. Chicago realized this and sent him to a reeling Memphis team for the same players the Grizzlies meant to send in the botched Kelly Oubre Jr. trade that created Brooks-gate. Chicago got MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden, plus Memphis’ 2019 and 2020 second-round picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
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It’s not a superstar return for the Bulls to be sure, but as long as Chicago plans on actually using those picks as something besides a foolhardy cash grab they’ll help with the rebuild. So will Selden, who actually shot a better percentage from 3-point range last season (40.2 percent) than Holiday ever has.
Holiday is the better player right now, but Seldon is just 24 years old. There’s a chance he becomes a solid piece as he ages, one the Bulls could potentially flip somewhere else eventually if his 3-point shot picks up again. Chicago is also reportedly looking at finding Brooks a new home already.
Being a good front office isn’t about pulling off a bunch of blockbuster trades. Making a big move when the time and circumstances align is fine and good, but teams get in those positions by nailing a bunch of smaller moves first. The Chicago Bulls aren’t about to turn the corner next week, but they’re a tiny bit closer to becoming respectable again. The challenge now is to keep moving in the right direction.
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