Bulls Draft Plan Executed Perfectly

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 27, 2014 4:00PM

The Bulls entered Thursday night's NBA Draft needing to upgrade their shooting, while not committing to two guaranteed first round contract obligations as they try to free up cap space in pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. The pieces fell perfectly into place for Chicago, as they traded the 16th and 19th picks to the Denver Nuggets for Creighton sharp shooter Doug McDermott, selected 11th overall.

Named the AP Player of the Year as a senior, McDermott led the nation in scoring last season with 26.7 points a game and shot 52.6 percent from the field, including 44.9 percent from three-point range. He finished his college career as basketball's fifth-leading scorer with 3,150 points. That will help a Bulls team who scored a league-low 93.7 points per game last season, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 33.3 percent on 3-pointers.

When discussing the 6-foot, 8-inch small forward, Bulls GM Gar Forman commented, "What excites us about Doug is we feel he's more than a shooter. He's a guy who is crafty with the ball, can create his own shot, can go in the post some, has a quick release whether it's from the perimeter or outside."

During last month's draft combine, Iowa native McDermott expressed his comfort with Bulls front office staff ties to the state and commented on his fit with the team. "I think I'd fit in great," McDermott said. "I feel like they always have a good group of guys. And, obviously with Derrick Rose returning he draws a lot of attention, so I feel like my outside shooting could really help them, and I feel like I'm a much better defender than people give me credit [for]. I think I can really understand the team concept of defense, and I think [Chicago's] a place where I could fit in."

Taking on only one guaranteed salary instead of two saved the Bulls about $329,000 in cap room, however, the Bulls also absorbed Anthony Randolph's expiring $1.825 million deal into a trade exception the Luol Deng deal created. But landing McDermott could make Mike Dunleavy and his $3.3 million contract expendable as the team continues to clear space for a run at Carmelo.