Butler trade was a win-win
T’wolves, Bulls both got what they wanted
Tom Thibodeau knew. Whether out of hatred or habit, plenty of people excoriated Bulls management for trading one of the NBA’s best 15 players in Jimmy Butler to Thibodeau’s Timberwolves last June.
Summarizing the stereotypes, Zach LaVine was a risk, coming off surgery to repair his left ACL. Kris Dunn was a bust, a brokendown shell of a former lottery pick. And Lauri Markkanen was an unknown, a soft European headed the way of Andrea Bargnani.
But Thibodeau knew. To get a lot, you have to give up a lot.
“Zach is going to be terrific,” Thibodeau said in an interview last July at the Vegas Summer League. “He’s a great worker. He puts a lot into it. He has made great strides each year. And he’ll continue to because of the way he approaches things.
“Kris started putting work in as soon as we told him to this offseason. He never missed a day. That tells you a lot.”
And Thibodeau valued Markkanen so highly that the Timberwolves had planned to select him if they hadn’t traded the No. 7 pick to the Bulls.
This wasn’t just Thibodeau placating his former employer. The former Bulls coach knew exactly what he traded to get Butler.
“You have to make the decision of where you are with your window,” Thibodeau continued back at summer league. “Both of our windows matched up. It was a good deal for both teams. They got quality players, and we obviously got an elite player.”
Fast-forward months.
Butler has vaulted into most valuable player talk by leading the Timberwolves to a top-four seed in the vicious Western Conference, where only the Warriors rival their intraconference mark. At averages of 21.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2 steals, Butler is posting nearly identical marks as last season, when he earned All-NBA thirdteam honors. That’s an elite player. LaVine made his debut Saturday — albeit on a 20-minute limit — look about as effortless as one could after an 11-month layoff. That’s testament not only to LaVine’s work ethic and skill but his athleticism.
“He gives you the ability at the end of the shot clock when you don’t have anything to just rise up and freeze a defender and make a shot with a high degree of difficulty,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “That’s a six skill, obviously, that you have to have at this level. Zach, at times, makes the game look very easy.”
After missing the first four games because of an open dislocation of his left index finger, Dunn has come on strongly enough to at least create debate whether LaVine ultimately will represent the centerpiece of the trade. His averages of 13.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds at least double — and in the case of scoring, quadruple — his averages from last season, though in 12.5 more minutes per game.
And remember: Thibodeau was high on Dunn even before this season.
Perhaps more importantly, Dunn consistently has displayed a fearlessness and kind of short memory you need to become elite. His game-winner Wednesday against the Knicks in double overtime on a tough shooting night for him is the latest example.
And then there’s Markkanen, who has averaged more 3-pointers per game than any rookie in league history and ranks second to Ben Simmons in rebounding and fourth in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Similarly to Dunn, Markkanen also has displayed the ability not to shrink from big moments.
Simply put, the reason the Bulls’ rebuild appears ahead of schedule is the young players have learned how to win more quickly than even management envisioned. Along with the Suns, the Bulls are the youngest team in the league. And such teams don’t typically fare well late in close games.
After their disastrous 3-20 start, the Bulls have improved to 17-27 after defeating Miami 119-111 on Monday. Nikola Mirotic has helped in this category. But so have Dunn and Markkanen.
In this day and age of social media and instant analysis, there’s a rush to declare winners and losers. In this case, there’s no point.
Both franchises gave up a lot to get exactly what they wanted.