Getty Bulls Wendell Carter Jr
Former Chicago Bulls big man Wendell Carter Jr. took his trade earlier this season personal. Judging by some edits he made to a recent Instagram image, he’s still salty.
The NBA Draft was Thursday night and WCJ took to social media ahead of the event to wish the draftees luck. He took the opportunity to take an unspoken shot at his former team.
NBC Sports Matt Peck posted the image from WCJ’s IG story:
Wendell painted over the Bulls logo on his hat from draft night 😂
WCJ could have wished the upcoming rookies luck without blotting out the Bulls logo, but clearly he’s still upset with Chicago for trading him.
Who Got the Better of the Trade?
It is too early to give a complete analysis of the trade that saw the Orlando Magic trade All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Bulls for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks. The first of those selections turned out to be Michigan forward Franz Wagner on Thursday.
The Bulls were 12-17 after the deal, and The Magic were even worse at 6-22. Chicago had a much better roster on paper and the trade was made to fortify their spot in the postseason. It didn’t happen.
Orlando wasn’t a playoff team when they made the deal, and the trade was a rebuilding move. Because of this, their record isn’t as relevant when trying to gauge which squad made out the best.
We won’t have a good reading on this deal for another year–at least. If the Bulls miss the playoffs again in 2021-22, or have a non-competitive showing getting eliminated in the first round, or losing out during the play-in tournament, it’ll be hard to make an argument in their favor.
We’ll need to see if Wagner shows flashes, if WCJ continues to develop and how the second first-round pick pans out for Orlando.
The Magic and Bulls on Draft Night
While the Magic took Wagner with the No. 8 pick, the biggest selection they made on Thursday was at No. 5. The Magic already have point guard Cole Anthony, whom they took in the first round in 2020, but the team still drafted Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs.
Perhaps Orlando sees one of those players as more of a 2-guard, or perhaps a sixth man, but it looks as though there could be a battle for minutes at the 1.
The Bulls have to wait until the second round for their first selection. There were a few moments in the first round where Chicago might have inserted themselves by perhaps offering a veteran like Tomas Satoransky, but nothing came to fruition.
We’ll stay focused on the draft through Thursday to see if the Bulls are involved in a trade and/or who they select with the 38th overall pick.
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Former Bull Disrespects the Team Logo on Instagram