Trade Wade? Get Younger? How Chicago Bulls Can Mask Recent Management Failures

The Bulls didn't have to trade Jimmy Butler. On a modest $17.5 million contract for the next two years, a two-way star in his prime shouldn't be that difficult to build a formidable team around. Their general manager and president of basketball operations, Gar Forman and John Paxson respectively (GarPax, colloquially), made up their minds that annual trips in and out of the first round of the playoffs weren't good enough.

That's fine. More than fine, really. The Bulls weren't going to beat the Cavaliers or the Warriors with a team built around Butler, especially at the rate things were going. Deciding to tear things down and start over is a tough decision, but this is what fans have been calling for.

The problem was they got desperate and didn't get nearly enough back. The return for Butler centered on a springy, sweet-shooting Zach LaVine coming off an ACL tear, one of the least efficient 23-year-old sophomores in league history in Kris Dunn and the seventh pick in the draft, which they used to draft Lauri Markkanen. The Bulls should have demanded future picks, but instead they gave the 16th pick away, adding insult to injury.

The trade was bad. Worse, by some twisted, backward logic, it gives GarPax another chance. Spinning this haul into "three lottery picks" is a complete joke, but what's scarier are the recent trends of placing value in the wrong traits.

• The Bulls' last four first-round picks: Doug McDermott, Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine and Lauri Markkanen. There's a clear trend of age and college production over athleticism and upside. None of these players have yet shown they can be NBA starters, let alone rotation players.

• The Bulls traded picks that turned into Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic plus another second-rounder for Doug McDermott on draft night in 2014. They offloaded two more second-rounders to get rid of Anthony Randolph's contract. The degree to which this trade was a complete disaster is self-explanatory.

• Derrick Rose was traded for Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon and Robin Lopez. Fine. But attaching two second-round picks to Calderon to make space for free-agent acquisitions? Not fine.

• Signing Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo expressed value in name brand over building a team that makes sense in the modern NBA.

• Tony Snell never looked like he fit on the Bulls, but trading him for Michael Carter-Williams again highlights the front office's lack of awareness of the league's direction. A year later, the Bulls are allowing Carter-Williams to walk into free-agency, while Snell is likely in for an eight-figure salary.

• Trading Taj Gibson, McDermott and a second-round pick for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne. Payne, the centerpiece of the deal, looks completely unplayable.

• The Bulls gave away their second-round pick to the Warriors, the sixth second-round pick they've given away in five years. They won't select in the second round again until 2020.

These are the decisions that have put the Bulls in this mess, and it's outrageous that GarPax will get a chance to clean it up. They've been gifted seemingly unlimited leash from their owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, whose loyalty is often lauded, but what about loyalty to the fans who have sold out the arena during these years of mediocrity?

At this point, the trade is done, and GarPax are still here. Time to figure out what comes next. The logical step is to find value in the margins and take advantage of their relatively clean salary cap.

They still need to figure out what to do with Wade's $24 million expiring contract. He could be bought out if the negotiations are "advantageous" to the Bulls, but he could also be an interesting trade chip at the deadline for a team that wants to clear space. Rondo's $3 million guarantee vests on the eve of free agency, so they've missed their chance to move him for a piece. The Bulls value having veteran leadership, particularly at point guard, but it's a tricky line to walk as adding vets may help teach the young players how to be professional, but it also might win the Bulls a few more games, which they cannot afford. 

Chicago acquired a trade exception worth roughly $15 million after trading Butler, which could get even bigger. Using this money, the Bulls can take on a bad salary from another team that hopes to be active in free agency, while acquiring a draft pick or a young player with potential in return. With the salary cap's shrinking from an estimated $101 million to $99 million, the Bulls are set to be able to take advantage of their space from teams that were over-eager during last summer's cap spike.

Whereas before the Bulls might avoid these albatross deals, they are now positioned to use that cap flexibility to their advantage and take on these bad contracts to find hidden gems. There are plenty of examples of players on expensive deals whose teams could be looking for cap relief. The Bulls should be keying in on assets to take back with them.

They have to be willing to spend the money.

The Bulls started digging themselves into a hole far before trading Butler, and it's going to be a while before they are out. In order to make the rebuild a success, they need to embrace the tank, which means learning from their plethora of mistakes.

They need to be hawks at scoping out potential and acquire all that they can. Instead of selling draft picks, take shots on fringe players and make use of the G League team. They've had success finding solid role players abroad like Cristiano Felicio and Paul Zipser, but they need to continue to tap that market. Prioritize upside in the draft instead of low-ceiling, high-floor players. Find those players on waivers. Avoid trying to add win-now pieces like Wade and Rondo, devote those resources to player development.

The Bulls are the furthest they've been from competing for a title since the post-Michael Jordan days, but there is a hazy foundation of a future. Credit GarPax for keeping all their first-round picks and avoiding long-term contracts. Now they need to act on that. Hopefully, they continue to add pieces to their younger and more athletic roster that Fred Hoiberg can finally understand. They have a few young players to build with—now it's time to find a player to build around.

Most of all, the Bulls need to give their fans something to be hopeful for in return for their patience and dedication. GarPax doesn't deserve this chance to rebuild, but since he has it, he needs to be patient with this process and avoid shortcuts.