Chicago Bulls Receive: G Patty Mills, G Derrick White, SAS 2022 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected)
San Antonio Spurs Receive: G Zach LaVine
From Chicago’s perspective, this trade makes sense for a couple of reasons, the first being that Derrick White has a load of potential as a combo-guard. Not only is White only 26-years old, but he put together a career year last season and could be on track to have a major breakout season this year.
On the court for the Spurs last year, Derrick White averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 assists and shot 45.8% from the floor, 36.6% from three-point range. Derrick White had some breakout performances in the NBA Bubble a few months back, where he averaged 18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 39.3% from three-point range in seven games. In the Spurs first seeding game versus the Kings, Derrick White scored a career high 26 points and showed glimpses into a great player he could potentially become.
White is not only a combo-guard with a sweet stroke from beyond the arc, but can be a playmaker out on the court for a Bulls team who is searching for a young talent to put at the forefront of their organization’s plans moving forward. Next to Coby White, the Bulls would have an excellent one-two punch in their backcourt for years to come.
Acquiring Patty Mills can also help the Bulls moving forward. Mills is in the final year of his contract and while he is an aging veteran, he can do a lot for some of the young players in Chicago. He was a part of the 2014 NBA Championship team in San Antonio and has been one of the leaders for many successful Spurs teams through the years.
Given his experiences over his 11-year NBA career, Patty Mills can not only help younger guys in the backcourt like Coby White, but he can come in and be a veteran leader with Otto Porter Jr. for one of the younger teams in the league.
The first-round pick that the Spurs would send in this trade to Chicago is also valuable because it would give the Bulls three first-round picks over the next two years. This would give them plenty of options in terms of drafting three young core players or packaging these picks together to bring in an All-Star level talent to lead their current young core.
Everything about this trade with San Antonio is a win for Chicago and would give them everything they need in terms of young talent moving forward.
