The Chicago Bulls made some bad moves this offseason. They started out their summer by trading away their All-Star Forward Jimmy Butler and the 16th pick of the 2017 NBA draft (which turned out to be Justin Patton) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and the 7th pick of the 2017 NBA draft which they used to get Lauri Markkanen.
This move made Dwayne Wade doubt his decision for opting in his last year for the Bulls. Now, the Chicago Bulls are looking at an expensive buyout to Wade's contract. They still owed Wade a ridiculous $23.8 million.
2016-2017 NBA Season
The Chicago Bulls started the 2016-2017 poorly; they had a very dysfunctional team from the top to bottom. But despite a very poor start, they still managed to clinch the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and advance to the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
They lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round, but they were poised to sweep Boston early in the series. The Chicago Bulls won the first two games of the series in Boston. Things were going great until Point Guard Rajon Rondo injured his right thumb. The injury made Chicago start their third-string Point Guard Isaiah Canaan.
Cameron Payne's journey
The 23-year-old Cameron Payne is a 2015 lottery pick and was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder 14th overall.
Payne's career has not yet taken off due to a mixture of injuries and his failure to produce at times.
Payne injured his right foot in July last season and he made the injury worse in September. The injury made him miss a large portion of the start of the 2016-2017 Nba Season.
During his years with the Thunder, he averaged 5.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
He was then acquired by the Chicago Bulls, along with Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow, from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott in February.
Cameron Payne's injury made him struggle to find playing time with the Chicago Bulls. He averaged only 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game last season.
Cameron Payne's injury
The Chicago Bulls' move of trading away Jimmy Butler was a great sign for Payne's career. The trade meant that the Chicago Bulls are in a full rebuilding mode, and Payne was supposed to be playing at backup Point Guard behind Kris Dunn.
But the injury cost Cameron Payne his role. He will reportedly undergo surgery for the injury and is expected to be out until late November.
Payne's absence means that the Chicago Bulls will enter training camp with Kris Dunn and Jerian Grant listed as their primary Point Guards.
