Chicago Bulls Receive: F OG Anunoby
Toronto Raptors Receive: F Patrick Williams, G Coby White, POR 2022 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected, via CHI), CHI 2026 2nd Round Pick
Drafted 23rd overall in 2017, OG Anunoby entered the league as a combo-forward dealing with some injuries and as a result, he did not really see the court much during his first couple of seasons in the league. However, he stepped into a starting role with the Raptors during the 2019-20 season following Kawhi Leonard’s departure and had a career-year with Toronto last season.
In just 43 games due to injuries, Anunoby averaged 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and shot 39.8% from three-point range last season, making him primed for another breakout season this year.
Pascal Siakam is out to begin the year and the Raptors do not really have an identity right now, which is why the first few weeks of the season for Toronto could be all about letting Anunoby run the show.
He is without a doubt their best two-way player on the wing and with the strides Anunoby has made with his three-point shot, he could immediately make an impact for several playoff-contending teams around the league. Standing 6’7” with a 7’2” wingspan, it is hard to find forwards like him anymore, hence why the Chicago Bulls should be highly interested.
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Next to LaVine, Vucevic and DeRozan, OG Anunoby could fit in perfectly with the Bulls, being the elite-level two-way threat he is destined to be. Coby White and Patrick Williams are two young pieces apart of the Bulls core right now and they have been essential assets for them over the years, but Anunoby himself is only 24-years-old.
Giving up two young assets and draft assets for a guy who can contribute now and in the future could make a lot of sense for a team like the Bulls who are on the rise in the Eastern Conference. As for the Raptors, getting two young pieces for the price of one seems logistically reasonable given that they have no direction to trend in right now.
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Toronto finished 27-45 last year and it is going to take a lot for them to make it back to the playoffs. They are not necessarily a bad team right now roster-wise, but the Eastern Conference as a whole has improved so much in the last year. No teams that made the playoffs last season really regressed much and of those that missed the playoffs, the Bulls, Cavs, Pacers and Hornets should all show signs of improvement over the course of the 2021-22 season.
The Raptors are going to have to make some kind of a move at some point to either buy or sell some of the talent on their roster and right now, it could make a lot of sense to try and get as many key assets for the future as possible.
