After all the rumors spanning nearly a decade in a Bulls uniform, Taj Gibson has finally left the building. Well, not yet. But Bulls traded the veteran power forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder just minutes before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday afternoon.
Chicago agreed to send the final piece of their 2011 Eastern Conference Finals roster to the Thunder for center Joffrey Lauvergne and shooting guard Anthony Morrow. Shams Charania of The Vertical was first to report the trade.
OKC sending Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow, w/ CHI sending '18 second-round pick with McDermott and Gibson, sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2017
In addition, the Bulls will send small forward Doug McDermott and their 2018 second round pick to the Thunder.
Thunder point guard Cameron Payne is also included in the deal, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Bulls sending Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and 2018 2nd rounder to OKC for Joffrey Lauvergne and Cameron Payne, sources said.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 23, 2017
For a team seriously lacking in shooters, this move is puzzling on the surface. Doug, despite his recent struggles, is the only quality three point shooter the Bulls have had this season. Morrow is shooting just 29.4% from three point range this season, though he is a career 41% shooter from deep. Maybe Gar Forman and John Paxson are hoping he’s due for an upswing? The same can be said for Payne, who’s a terrible outside shooter for a point guard.
What exactly are GarPax thinking?
We’ll keep you to speed with any further developments on this trade.
