The news Thursday was the Bulls traded highly regarded veteran Taj Gibson and shooting specialist Doug McDermott to the Oklahoma City Thunder for youngsters Cameron Payne, a point guard, center Joffrey Lauvergne and veteran shooter Anthony Morrow.
It was a Bulls move toward the future since Gibson, who will be 32 in June, will be a free agent this summer, and McDermott hasn’t excelled to the Bulls expectations in his third season. The Thunder believe the two, even with Gibson as a so called rental player who may not resign with them, can help them avoid a first round playoff series with Golden State and perhaps enable a playoff run.