The Minnesota Timberwolves trade Jeff Teague and a few former Chicago Bulls for the infamous Jabari Parker.
If you’ve lived under a rock over the past few weeks, you may have missed the chaos that has ensued with the Chicago Bulls.
Bulls Head Coach Jim Boylen hasn’t exactly gotten off to the best start in Chicago, since his team essentially created a revolt against his coaching demands.
The team was asked to practice on a back-to-back and the players were having none of that (this is usually a no-no in the NBA). Boylen was reportedly making players run gassers and do push-ups and sit-ups, and some players felt they were being treated as a high school varsity team.
Notably, Jabari Parker was rumored to feel that way and has literally been taken out of the lineups for future games (playing 4 minutes over the past two showings).
The 23-year-old was paid $20 million to put on a Bulls jersey this year (and preferably the next), but it looks like the team will be moving on without him.
In this trade, I’ve taken the chance on getting the talented Parker – and where he lacks in defense, he could potentially make up for it on the offensive end, possibly off the bench at times.
Again, more than anything, the Wolves need a consistent offensive scoring threat when Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins come off the court. And while Derrick Rose has been that guy, it’s a lot to ask for one player to do it all.
I’ve also thrown in big man Taj Gibson and Luol Deng for financial reasons, but more than anything, the Bulls need more veteran leadership in the locker room to help their young guys grow.
The trio of Gibson/Deng/Teague could be a solid group to bring there and help the youth in that locker room from revolting against the franchise. Moreover, the Bulls snag an unprotected first from Minny, which is a huge plus.
Robin Lopez can only do so much as the only savvy veteran there.
Lastly, I love the flexibility that guys like Robert Covington and Dario Saric give the Wolves with their lineups, and Parker definitely improves the teams versatility.