National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls: 3 Notable Takeaways From Tony Snell Trade

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:09 p.m. ET

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The Chicago Bulls sent forward Tony Snell to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. Here are the main takeaways from this deal.

Mar 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) attempts a shot as Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo (8) defends at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls overcame a 17-point halftime deficit en rout to defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 107-86 in their fifth preseason contest late Saturday night. As impressive as the win was, though, that wasn’t the only bit of news that transpired between these two ball clubs over the weekend.

As first reported by ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Marc Stein, the Bulls sent swingman Tony Snell to the Bucks for former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams.

BREAKING: League sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me that Bucks and Bulls are in deep talks on a Michael Carter-Williams-for-Tony Snell trade.

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 16, 2016

It is no secret that Snell has struggled with playing well on a consistent basis during his tenure with the Bulls. The question is did the Bulls improve their roster with this move?

To answer that question, here is a look at the main takeaways from this trade.

Apr 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) dribbles the ball past Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) during the fist quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Snell Never Lived Up To Expectations

The Bulls selected Snell with the No. 20 pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Following a season at New Mexico in which he averaged 12.5 points per contest while converting 39 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, the Bulls felt they were adding a player who could bolster the team’s perimeter attack.

Unfortunately for both sides, Snell did not materialize into the player the Bulls hoped he would become. Sure, he did shoot at least 36 percent from distance in each of the last two seasons, but he also shot a career-low 36 percent from the field overall last season.

As it was alluded a bit ago, one of the most glaring issues for Snell over the last three years was that he failed to string together solid performances. There were instances when he would score in double figures one night and follow that up with a stretch of games where he would have little or no impact on the court.

One such example of this trend took place in mid-December of last season. After scoring 16 points against the Philadelphia Sixers, Snell followed that with a four-game stretch in which he scored a combined total of 15 points.

Simply put, the Bulls gave Snell every opportunity to become an integral part of the rotation, but for whatever reason, he never became the type of player they could depend on.

So while the timing of this move is somewhat surprising, barring an unexpected breakout season, this probably would have been his last year in a Bulls uniform.

Oct 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) hurts his ankle while defending Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Trade Does Very Little In Terms Of Floor Spacing

Let’s open up this portion of the discussion with the positives. MCW is a former Rookie of the Year who posted impressive averages of 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds during his first year in the league.

Additionally, although he lost his spot in the starting lineup prior to undergoing hip surgery last season, Carter-Williams did post a career-high shooting percentage last season as he converted 45 percent of his attempts overall.

On the other side of the equation, his addition to the Bulls roster does not, I repeat, does not address their need for additional long-range shooting. Carter-Williams shot just 27 percent from three-point range in 2015-16 and has converted just 25 percent of his attempts from distance during his four-year career.

At 6-foot-6, MCW certainly does give the Bulls size and length at the backup point guard spot, but it will be interesting to see how effective he can be in a system where the ability to knock down 3s is all but essential.

Oct 15, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg talks to guard Isaiah Canaan (0) in the third quarter during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

How Does Trade Affect Backup Point Guard Position?

As of right now, the Bulls have a number of players vying for minutes at the backup point guard slot. This list includes Jerian Grant, Isaiah Canaan, Spencer Dinwiddie and possibly even rookie combo guard/forward Denzel Valentine as well.

With the exception of Valentine, who has been nursing an ankle injury, each of these players have shown flashes of potential during Chicago’s preseason slate thus far. Dinwiddie scored 23 and grabbed six rebounds in a loss to the Indiana Pacers Oct. 6.

Canaan has had a couple of standout performances as well. In the Bulls’ 121-105 win over the Pacers on Oct. 8, he posted a plus-40 rating despite attempting just one shot. And in Chicago’s most recent win over the Bucks, Canaan scored 25 points to go along with five boards and four assists.

Last, but not least is Grant. After scoring a total of just 12 points in the first three preseason games, Grant has reached double figures in each of the last two outings while averaging 4.5 assists in those two games.

Despite the seemingly encouraging trend of this trio of players, the addition of Williams could indicate that the Bulls are not totally confident with their depth at this position, or that there was no clear front-runner at the very least.

Although MCW does not have great touch from the outside, he rated 12th among point guards in defensive RPM rankings last season. Whether or not this will be enough to place him at the head of the class at this spot remains to be seen.

Feb 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) drives past Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Final Analysis

To recap, the Bulls have rid themselves of a player who never lived up to expectations. And although they picked up Snell’s fourth-year option prior to the start of last season, the fact that the front office continued to draft wing players like Doug McDermott in 2014 and Valentine in this year’s draft, strongly indicated that Snell was not going to be a part of the organization’s long-term future.

Meanwhile, in acquiring Williams, the Bulls have added yet another playmaker to the mix, even if his outside shooting leaves a lot to be desired. With size and the ability to defend, these two factors may give MCW a slight edge over the current group of players vying for playing time behind Rajon Rondo.

Worst case scenario: MCW fails to crack the rotation. If this scenario plays out, the Bulls can simply let him walk next season, as he is in the final year of his contract.

Best case scenario: Carter-Williams plays well and proves to be a capable long-term solution at the point guard position. If that is the case, the Bulls will have the right to match any offer he receives on the open market next season.

Having said that, the Bulls got the better end of this deal simply because they were able to get something in return for a player who had fallen out of the rotation, while not making any financial sacrifices in the process.