The Chicago Bulls, one of the most active players in the trading period, have agreed a three-team deal with the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics to acquire center Daniel Theis, goalkeeper Javonte Green and striker Troy Brown Jr. Instead. The Wizards welcomed Daniel Gafford and striker Chandler Hutchison, while the Celtics took Luke Kornet and Moritz Wagner.
How much can Theis give a Bulls reorganization team and how did both the Wizards and the Celtics do business?
Kevin Pelton shares trade marks for all three teams.
Understanding
The bulls receive: Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, Troy Brown Jr., cash considerations
The Celts receive: Luke Kornet and Moritz Wagner
Wizards receive: Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison
Get more commercial notes from Pelton here
Chicago Bulls: A
After adding Nikola Vucevic on Thursday, the Bulls thought of having a capable three-man rotation in front of the field, along with him and starters Lauri Markkanen and Thaddeus Young. They managed to add depth and reassurance, taking Theis as part of an extended version of what was originally reported as a two-team deal with Washington.
When Chicago is in power, there may not be many minutes for Theis. As long as he accepts that role, it will be wonderful to have him around as the fourth great man. Theis-Vucevic formations may become a little cumbersome, but they have enough room to survive – certainly more than the Theis-Thompson fronts we saw in Boston – and Theis should fit well with any another big man.
In the book below, the Bulls managed to snatch Brown from the wizards, whose coach never seemed to recognize his value. From just 21 years old, Brown showed his potential as a defender and perimeter player. The ability to swing naturally pulls. Brown is just a shooter with 3% of his career in 33%, limiting his value. Ideally, Chicago would put him there with great people like Markkanen and Vucevic, allowing Brown to play more in space than to say.
In Brown and Theis, I would argue that the Bulls have attracted the best players in the business. However, somehow they also get the money involved – $ 1.3 million from the Celtics and $ 250,000 from the Wizards, on Ryan McDonough of Radio.com.
Boston Celtics: C-
The Celtics have given up Theis, a starter in almost all of the last two seasons, to avoid paying the luxury tax after adding Evan Fournier earlier on Thursday. Boston could still go into tax if Fournier and Jaylen Brown get enough incentives in their contracts to play deep playoffs (they both have incentives to reach and finish the NBA Finals), although at the time the Celtics would certainly be pay to pay this.
Wagner is an interesting addition to Boston. He showed promise sometimes in his three seasons in the NBA, occasionally tearing down 3 points (he has 30% for his career) and frequently taking on tasks (the 11th in just 375 minutes tied on sixth in the league Tracking advanced statistics). Despite these skills, Wagner did not show enough to keep a consistent place in rotation for a Wizards team that plays without the starting center Thomas Bryant due to injury, so expectations should be modest.
Most likely, the Celtics turn their central position into the duo of Tristan Thompson and Robert Williams. This is a concern, given that their best formations presented Theis in the middle. According to my analysis of NBA Advanced Stats data, Boston outperformed opponents by 1.0 points per 100 possessions with Theis in the center, compared to a net rating of minus-0.1 with Thompson and minus-3.4 per 100 possessions. with Williams – definitely hindered by playing with the weaker Celtics backup units.
I’m excited to see what Williams can do with more minutes, and Theis wasn’t a great match against bigger playoff opponents. But I think the Boston front office is doing too much in terms of how the Celtics were defeated at the end of last year’s conference against the Miami Heat and not enough in the way they won two playoff rounds with Theis to get there. there – including sweeping Joel Embiid and the short Philadelphia 76ers.
Washington Wizards: C +
I don’t like the wing side of this double-challenged trade for wizards. In exchange for Brown from Hutchison, they are three years older (Hutchison will turn 25 next month) and will be demoted in the game. Hutchison isn’t even an upgrade in terms of Brown’s weakness, as he’s a 3% 30% career shooter.
Wizards compensate for this to some extent, obtaining a more valuable center. Gafford offers the kind of rim protection Washington needs, after hitting an impressive 8% of the opponent’s 2-point attempts so far in his NBA career. He is also an above-the-edge finisher, who has made 80% of his own 2-point attempts.
The downside is that Gafford often gets out of position to get defensive rebounds by following blocked shots and also makes frequent mistakes. Maybe his pairing with Russell Westbrook will help solve this glass deficiency. The NBA’s experience should also improve 22-year-old Gafford’s decision-making as a defender. I see it as a capable long-term reserve center with a favorable contract, with two unsecured seasons after it, for a total of $ 3.8 million.