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The Chicago Bulls have acquired guard Michael Carter-Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Tony Snell.
“We’re excited to add Michael to our roster,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a two-way player who adds versatility and depth to our backcourt rotation.”
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “the Bucks continue to try to shore up the shooting guard position after the loss of Khris Middleton, who had surgery for a torn hamstring and is out at least six months. The Bulls wanted a reliable backup for Rajon Rondo.”
And according to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Carter-Williams has declined steadily, going from NBA Rookie of the Year with the 76ers to a bench player with the Bucks. So how does he fit with the Bulls? He doesn’t give them the outside shooting they crave. He’s a career 25.5 percent shooter from three-point range. What he gives coach Fred Hoiberg is on-the-ball defense off the bench, as well as a point guard who can play with pace.”
Carter-Williams (6-6, 190) was the 11th-overall selection by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013 NBA Draft. He tipped off his professional career by being named the 2013-14 Kia Rookie of the Year and a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. Carter-Williams was traded to Milwaukee in 2014-15, and by averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists through his first two NBA seasons, he joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Grant Hill, Steve Francis and LeBron James as the only players to post such numbers during their first two years. He currently owns career averages of 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 190 games (170 starts) over three seasons.
The Syracuse product competed in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and Taco Bell Skills Challenge at 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was selected to the 2015 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge team but did not play due to injury. Carter-Williams was also invited to participate in the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s National Team minicamp in Las Vegas.
In three games to date during the 2016 preseason, Snell, 24, has averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 16.0 minutes. He appeared in 64 games (33 starts) for the Bulls last season and averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. The 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of the University of New Mexico, Snell has played in 213 career games (67 starts) for the Bulls, and averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists. In his last two seasons, Snell has shot 37.1 percent (2014-15) and 36.1 percent (2015-16) from the three-point arc.
