BULLS MOVE UP FOR MCDERMOTT IN 4-PLAYER SWAP
The Chicago Bulls acquired the draft rights to guard-forward Doug McDermott and forward-center Anthony Randolph from the Denver Nuggets for the draft rights to center Jusuf Nurkic, the draft rights to shooting guard Gary Harris, and a second-round draft pick in 2015.
What does it give the Chicago Bulls
Despite their great defense last season the Bulls were woeful on offense, so they needed to get a proven scorer at this draft. They do exactly that with McDermott, who has the polished scoring tools to step in as a starter for them sometime in the coming campaign. To get the pick they needed for McDermott (No. 11 overall), they had to hand over two first-rounders (Nos. 16 and 19), plus the 2015 second-rounder. They also get longtime prospect Randolph in the deal, but this was all about adding McDermott's scoring.
What does it give the Denver Nuggets
Nurkic and Harris both have the goods to eventually be NBA starters--and both may arguably have more long-term upside than McDermott--so this has to be seen as a bit of a coup for them. They leveraged Chicago's desperation to move up and get McDermott, and get away with some great assets in return. They won't likely miss Randolph, a player who hasn't performed up to his immense athletic potential during several NBA stops.
Fantasy impact
McDermott should push {P Mike Dunleavy} for starts at small forward right away, and should be expected to contribute fantasy-wise fairly early on in the coming season. That said, don't select him too highly in standard fantasy leagues, since McDermott won't likely produce much in non-scoring stat categories. The fantasy picture isn't as rosy in 2014-15 for Nurkic or Harris (since they're both stuck behind several other players), but both are long-term keeper types worth monitoring. Randolph isn't likely to become fantasy-relevant in Chicago.
