Ahead of the 2024–25 season, the Chicago Bulls made separate deals for Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan as part of their rebuilding process.
According to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, they should emulate Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. This was written on July 11. However, there hasn’t been much trade interest in either. The Bulls could try their hand at moving one of their less well-known veterans.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed dealing former G League Ignite player Leonard Miller to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for 34-year-old forward Torrey Craig.
“The Timberwolves boast some of the top-tier talent in the league. Though that talent comes at a high price, Buckley wrote on July 10 that “this win-now team could be heavily reliant on unproven youth due to the roster’s top-heavy makeup.”
If the decision-makers feel that approach is too risky, they may trade part of that young for a steady player like Craig. Although Miller has a lot of promise, it won’t help the Wolves win the championship the next season. However, Craig’s expertise, defensive adaptability, and outside shooting might.
Miller’s upside and Craig’s experience can be reversed to meet the Bulls’ new direction.
In his post-draft press conference on June 26, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas mentioned logic following the team’s acquisition of Josh Giddey for Caruso.
In 53 games, 14 of which were starts, Craig averaged 5.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 39.2% from outside the arc for the Bulls in 2023–2024. He is in the last year of a two-year, $5.4 million deal that has a 2024–2025 cap hit of $2.8 million.
With the Bulls, Craig had the fewest points, minutes, and appearances he had since the 2020–21 campaign.
Leonardo G League Flashed Potential
The 33rd overall selection in the 2023 draft was Miller. For the Timberwolves in 2023–24, he averaged 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 17 games.
He performed well in the G League.
In 20 games for the Iowa Wolves in 2023–24, the 6-foot–10 Miller averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. All those appearances were initiated by him. With the G League Ignite in 2022–2023 he played in 24 games (19 starts) and averaged 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
After the draft, in June 2023, CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone commented, “The Spurs made this pick and flipped it to Minnesota, giving the Timberwolves — for my money — a lottery-level talent and one of the better value acquisitions of the night.” “As a large wing who can put the ball on the floor, distribute, and defend with versatility, Miller has a quirky but efficient game. He has a strong forward motor.
In Buckley’s hypothetical situation, the Bulls would save $900,000. The two years of Miller’s eight.3 million dollar contract are about to begin. In 2024–2025, he will have a $1.9 million cap hit. Additionally, Miller’s contract has a $2.4 million team option for the 2026–2027 season.
In this scenario, he would team up with Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 overall pick in 2024, to give the team a long-lasting forward tandem.
They did not have that in 2023–2024.
Bulls’ trade for Leonard Miller might provide size on their roster.
2023 second-round selection Julian Phillips was one of three players on the 2023–24 main roster who was listed as taller than 6-foot-7. Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic, two centers, were the other two. In free agency, Drummond signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Going into the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League, they had these five players on their roster: Buzelis, Giddey, Phillips, Vucevic, and Jalen Smith, a free agent signee.
Like Drummond in 2024, the Bulls might lose Craig for free in 2025 if no deal is made.
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