It hasn’t even been a month since the Chicago Bulls traded their sixth-leading scorer in franchise history. The magnitude of the trade seemingly flew under the radar, likely because the three-team swap centered around De’Aaron Fox’s intention to land in San Antonio following his rumored discontent with the Sacramento Kings.
The Bulls’ return for the two-time All-Star was less than stellar, rendering LaVine merely a throw-in. Chicago received three role players, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins, alongside its own 2025 first-rounder for a 24.0-point-per-game scorer. Furthermore, recovering its first-rounder isn’t as good as it seems. Chicago’s 2025 first-round pick was top-10 protected—meaning it’d convey to the Spurs if it fell outside the top 10. An unlikely scenario anyway for the suffering Bulls.
Nevertheless, the trade was made with future financial flexibility in mind. The Bulls cleared their books of the $138 million left on LaVine’s contract. The Kings’ guard is signed through 2027. None of the three players Chicago acquired are on the books for over a season. Jones’s pact expires this offseason, while Huerter and Collins are signed through 2026.
Even though the trio isn’t expected to remain in Chicago for long, they bring immediate value. Jones has seen 10-plus minutes in every contest thus far. He’s averaged 7.4 points and 2.3 assists per game while only recording two turnovers in seven appearances. Jones’s best performance came in the 122-117 loss to the Clippers. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Huerter has seemingly rediscovered his shooting stroke in recent games. After connecting on only 30.2 percent of his triples through the first 43 games with the Kings, Huerter is drilling 37.5 percent in seven games with the Bulls. He’s converted 14 of his last 30 three-point attempts and is averaging 16.7 points over his previous three appearances.
Zach Collins’ ascension comes later than one would hope
Lastly, Collins, who spent three of his first games in Chicago on the bench, has impressed in back-to-back showings. In the Bulls’ 32-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Collins scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. Then came the 6-foot-11 big man’s best game of the season against the LA Clippers. Collins dropped 21 points, hauled in 17 rebounds, and dished out seven assists. The 27-year-old converted 8-of-14 field goal attempts and 2-of-4 three-pointers.
While Collins was arguably the least desirable trade acquisition due to his decline in statistics (11.2 points to 4.6) and bloated contract (two years, $34 million), he’s been the most serviceable. Starting center Nikola Vucevic has missed the Bulls’ previous two games as he’s dealt with a calf injury, while reserve big Jalen Smith has missed three straight games after being diagnosed with a concussion in a bout against the New York Knicks.
With Collins in tow, the Bulls are suddenly flush at center. Pending the return of Vucevic and Smith, Chicago will run three deep at a position of early-season need. Furthermore, all three bigs are threats from beyond the arc. Billy Donovan’s lineup flexibility has extended with Collins in Chicago. Don’t be surprised if Donovan trots out Vooch with Collins or Collins with Smith—especially in the near future, against bigger teams such as looming opponents, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
