Chandler Hutchison just got promoted.
At least that’s the way it looks as the Bulls Friday agreed to trade Justin Holiday to the Memphis Grizzlies for two reserve shooting guards, Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks, and second round draft picks in 2019 and 2020.
It doesn’t appear so much a trade for players as a chance to add draft picks and an opportunity to open up for observation the vital small forward position for rookie Hutchison, who was acquired with the draft picks obtained in last season’s trade for Nikola Mirotic.
Brooks being an older player at 29 doesn’t seem likely to remain with the Bulls. He was averaging 6.6 points in 29 games for the Grizzlies and shooting 28 percent on threes. After being the 25th pick in the 2011 draft out of Providence, Brooks has played for six NBA teams and in China and Italy. He recently was dropped from a trade to the Suns because of a misunderstanding about which player named Brooks was involved. Selden, also a 6-5 shooting guard, was undrafted out of Kansas in 2016 and played in the G-league. He was averaging 5.4 points off the bench for Memphis this season and shooting 32 percent on threes. The Bulls had to open a roster spot in the deal and released Cameron Payne.
Payne was averaging 5.7 points in 31 games this season with 12 starts and shooting 27 percent on threes. Payne was acquired along with Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow from Oklahoma City in February 2017 for Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a second round pick.
Both Brooks and Selden are free agents after this season.
Holiday was averaging 11.6 points per game and had recently set a Bulls franchise record for three point shots made in the most consecutive games. It ended after 43 games and broke a record held by Kirk Hinrich. Holiday also tied a record held by Craig Hodges and Lauri Markkanen for at least a trio of three pointers in six consecutive games.
Holiday was shooting 35.9 percent on threes for the season and by far had attempted the most threes on the team this season for the Bulls with 270. He was tied for ninth in the league in three-point attempts per game. Holiday was averaging a team most minutes per game at just under 35. He was 14th in the league in most minutes played.
It probably was too much playing time for a player not generally considered a part of the team’s future, but also necessary to help create a winning culture for young players learning to compete and finish games.
It was Holiday’s second tenure with the Bulls. The undrafted 29-year-old first came to the Bulls in 2016 with a second round draft pick as part of a three-team deal that sent Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta. He averaged 6.5 points and shot 43 percent on threes. Holiday then was part of the Derrick Rose trade to the Knicks for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant.
Holiday, out of the U. of Washington, has two brothers who play in the NBA. He has played for five NBA teams as well as in the G-league and in Belgium and Hungary. He was on the roster of the 2015 Golden State Warriors when they won the NBA title.
In July 2017, Holiday signed a two-two-year deal as a free agent with the Bulls and last season averaged a career high 12.2 points per game while shooting 36 percent on threes. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Holiday started 72 games last season, but wasn’t used as often later in the season when the Bulls played more young players. This season he has been a primary three-point shooter and along with Wendell Carter Jr. was the only Bulls players to start every game.