According to many reporters throughout the NBA, the Chicago Bulls have sent forward Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for center Andrew Bynum and three draft picks. RealGM’s Shams Charania was the first to report the news.
Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum and draft picks, league source tells RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2014
The Cavaliers acquired Luol Deng in this trade. Deng is a 6-foot-9, 28 year old small forward that is in the middle of his ninth season in the NBA. He’s averaging 19 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game this season. Those are some very good numbers. He’s also a very dominant force on the defensive end of the court. He’s a well-rounded player, something that you don’t see too often in this league anymore. He will replace Alonzo Gee in the starting lineup for the Cavaliers; that is obviously a tremendous upgrade for them.
The Bulls acquired Andrew Bynum and three picks in this deal. Here’s a wrap up of the trade from the official press release:
In exchange for Deng, the Cavs send Chicago Bynum, Cleveland’s right to the Sacramento King’s first round draft pick conveyed in a June 30, 2011 deal, the right for Chicago to swap its own 2015 first round draft pick with the Cavs own 2015 first round draft pick (only in the case that the Cleveland 2015 first round draft pick is between 15 and 30) and the Portland Trail Blazer’s 2015 and 2016 second round draft picks acquired from the Trail Blazers via 2013 draft night trade. – NBA.com
Chicago didn’t get a lot in this deal, but they are saving a lot of money with this trade. They are no longer in charge of paying Luol Deng, and it is very likely that they will release Andrew Bynum tomorrow. So, they are saving a lot of money in this deal.
With this move, it is safe to assume that the Bulls are now in the tanking sweepstakes. The 2014 draft class is loaded with talent, and tanking is a common thing throughout the NBA right now. A lot of people expected the Bulls to make a move like this because earlier in the season their star point guard, Derrick Rose, went down with an injury that will sit him down for the rest of the season, and the Bulls aren’t good without him.
This trade has a positive affect on both teams. The Cavaliers are now poised to make a run in the Eastern Conference, and now the Bulls are set up to get a good pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
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