The Chicago Bulls head into next season with an extremely clean cap sheet. After signing Josh Giddey to a long-term contract extension, their only other players with contracts beyond 2026 are Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro, Noa Essengue, Patrick Williams, and Jalen Smith. This gives them a lot of trade assets in the form of expiring contracts, and one that could be shipped out by the trade deadline, is Kevin Huerter.
Huerter arrived in Chicago last season as part of the Bulls’ return for trading Zach Lavine to the Kings. After having a down year in Sacramento to that point, Huerter finished strong in the last 26 games of the season with the Bulls.
In those 26 games, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three. Over half of his shots are threes, a trend that has held constant for his entire career, so the three-point percentage is really the most important number.
Huerter’s refound shooting stroke makes him a compelling trade chip
His high percentage on 7.2 attempts per game was a very impressive mark and showed a resurgence of the sniper he was a few seasons ago. When he first arrived in Sacramento, Huerter completely transformed the Kings’ offense with his off-ball cutting, dribble hand-off game, and outside shooting.
In his first season with the Kings, Huerter shot 40.2 percent from three on about seven attempts per game. Based on his shooting with the Bulls last season, it wouldn’t be crazy for another team to assume he’s back to similar form as the 2023 iteration of himself after a couple of down years.
He can still be an extremely valuable weapon for an offense lacking in outside shooting, especially one with great defense to make up for Huerter’s so-so defensive ability. Young teams with an abundance of defensive talent, such as the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic, could be interested in Huerter’s expiring contract, which also allows such teams to get a taste of “Red Velvet” without committing to him long-term.
As the Bulls are currently set up and even going into the future, they have a ton of offensive talent, but lack the defenders to truly complete the team. They made a move to fix the issue by acquiring Okoro earlier this offseason, but they still have a ways to go before they establish a defensive identity.
Huerter does fit in very well with the Bulls’ three-point-heavy offensive ecosystem, but he is an unnecessary luxury for the team right now at $18 million per season. He’s being paid like a starter and probably has the talent to be one, nonetheless, on another team. Huerter has played well for the Bulls in his short time with the team so far, yet he’ll be even more valuable as a trade asset.
