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Chicago Bulls Deal Mike Dunleavy to Cleveland

On July 7th, 2016, the Chicago Bulls traded forward Mike Dunleavy and the draft rights of Vladimir Veremeenko to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the draft rights of Albert Miralles.

After a two-year stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, Mike Dunleavy signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Chicago Bulls. Initially pegged as a reserve behind All-Star Luol Deng, Dunleavy became a starter midway through the 2013-14 season after Deng was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He finished the year with 11.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 82 games (61 starts) and 31.5 MPG.

The Bulls dealt wth injuries as star Derrick Rose suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee that required surgery after 11 games. Chicago started off slow with a 9-16 record. At 14-18 they traded Deng and looked to be out of the playoff race. Behind an MVP-like effort from Joakim Noah and contributions from Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler and Carlos Boozer, the Bulls went 34-16 the rest of the year and finished fourth in the East at 48-34.

In the opening round, the Bulls faced the Washington Wizards. The first game saw Chicago have a 12-point lead in the second half. The Wizards came back with a 28-14 run to close out the game 102-93. The second contest went to overtime, but the Wizards managed to take a 2-0 lead after Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich missed two free-throws that would’ve tied the game with 2.4 seconds left.

Washington had a 2-0 lead and seemed ready to take care of business and close out Chicago. Dunleavy would have an answer as he nailed 8 threes and scored 35 points as the Bulls won 100-97. In the fourth game, the Wizards gained a 20-point lead after the third quarter and held on for a nine-point victory.

Washington won the series in a sluggish 75-69 Game Five outcome. Chicago’s offense couldn’t get going as they shot 25-for-75 (33%) on field goal attempts. Dunleavy was solid for the series with 13.2 PPG on 47.2% shooting from the field and 46.2% from three. The 6′9″ forward also managed 3.6 RPG and 2.4 APG in 5 contests and 32.6 MPG.

Chicago underwent massive changes for the 2014-15 season. In the offseason, the Bulls used the amnesty clause to waive forward Carlos Boozer. Chicago acquired rookie Doug McDermott in the draft and signed Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic and Aaron Brooks in free agency. With Derrick Rose returning and the newly acquired Gasol in the fold, the Bulls were expected to be a top team in the East and a legitimate challenger to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chicago was a top team early on with a 22-9 record. They hit some turbulence along the way, but still managed to reach a 50-32 record behind All-Star seasons from Gasol and Jimmy Butler. Dunleavy missed a month of action with a right ankle injury. He was productive as a full-time starter with 9.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.6 SPG in 63 contests and 29.2 MPG.

Dunleavy didn’t produce sexy numbers, but when he was on the court Chicago was extremely effective. The Bulls had a plus-5.4 Net Rating per 100 possessions with Dunleavy on the court while holding just a plus-1.5 Net Rating when Dunleavy sat.

Earning the third seed, Chicago was placed in a first round matchup with division foe the Milwaukee Bucks. Rose and Butler combined for 48 points and 13 assists as Chicago won Game One 103-91 and took a 1-0 lead. In the second game, Butler put up 31 points as Chicago was victorious by nine points.

Game Three was much closer, but Chicago managed to take a 3-0 lead behind 34 points from Rose in a 113-106 double overtime game. Facing elimination, Milwaukee finally won a game.

The fourth game was close. Pau Gasol converted a three-point play to tie the game at 90. After a Bucks miss, Rose turned the ball over. Bucks forward Khris Middleton picked up the ball and Milwaukee called a timeout with 1.3 seconds left. After the timeout, Bucks forward Jared Dudley found guard Jerryd Bayless open under the rim after Rose lost track of Bayless. Bayless made the layup at the buzzer to give the Bucks a win and make the series 3-1.

In a surprise, the Bucks took Game Five in Chicago 94-88 with guard Michael Carter-Wlliams starring with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Chicago took care of business in Game Six. They jumped on Milwaukee with an 8-0 run to start and led 34-16 after the first quarter. The Bucks never threatened as Chicago won 120-66 in a rout.

For the series, Dunleavy contributed 10.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.0 APG. The forward also shot 50% from the field and 54.8% on three-point attempts.

The second round saw Chicago matched up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Chicago had an advantage with Cavs forward Kevin Love out for the rest of the postseason and J.R. Smith suspended for the first two games of the series.

Chicago never trailed and led by as much as 16 in the 99-92 win in the series opener. Cleveland evened the series with a 106-91 rout in the second game. The series scene shifted to Chicago, and Game Three was highly contested.

Chicago had a 96-93 lead late, but J.R. Smith knocked down a game-tying three to make it 96–96. After a Bulls timeout, Rose banked in a trey from deep at the buzzer, giving the Bulls a 99–96 win and a 2–1 series lead.

In Game Four, Chicago had an 11-point lead in the second half. Facing a seven-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, Cleveland went on a 19–5 run to take an 80–73 lead with 4:04 left. Jimmy Butler hit a three to make the game 84-82 with 27 seconds left. Cleveland subsequently called three timeouts after failing to inbound the ball.

After they managed to get the ball in, Cavs forward LeBron James committed an offensive foul on Dunleavy. Chicago got the ball back and Rose tied the game with a layup with 8 seconds remaining.

On the final possession, Cavs coach David Blatt nearly called timeout. If the officials had noticed, Cleveland would’ve lost possession and been charged a technical foul — After the game, the NBA officiating report acknowledged that Blatt should have been charged with a timeout.

James’ shot was blocked and the ball went out of bounds with 1.5 seconds remaining. Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova inbounded the ball to James who nailed a jumper just inside the corner three-point line to give the Cavs an 86-84 win and tie the series 2-2.

The fifth game saw the Cavs build a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and barely hold on for a 106-101 victory after a late Bulls rally. In Game Six, the Cavs closed the first half on a 20–4 run. Cleveland was up by 14 at halftime and never lost the lead. The Cavs led by as much as 27 in a 94-73 blowout that eliminated Chicago. For the series, Dunleavy amassed 11.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG, while shooting 47.9% from the field and 40% from beyond the three-point line.

Going into the 2015-16 season, Chicago ran it back with a similar roster, but made a move by firing coach Tom Thibodeau and bringing in Iowa coach and former NBA player Fred Hoiberg.

The Bulls had a 22-12 start under Hoiberg, but a season-ending injury to Joakim Noah, inconsistent team performances and a style clash between coach and players led to the Bulls going 20-28 the rest of the way and finishing out of the playoff race with a 42-40 record.

Dunleavy had back surgery before 2015 training camp and missed the first 49 games. Overall, the former Blue Devil appeared in 31 contests (30 starts) and put up 7.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.5 SPG in 22.7 MPG.

After the season, Chicago underwent more changes. The team dealt Rose to the New York Knicks and lost Noah and Gasol in free agency. Chicago looked to rebuild, but went in an opposite direction when they negotiated a two-year, $47 million deal with Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

To make the salary math work and fit Wade’s salary on the roster, Chicago had to trade Jose Calderon to the Los Angeles Lakers and Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers. For Dunleavy, it was the perfect opportunity to join the Cavaliers and compete for a championship.

Dunleavy finished his Bulls tenure with 9.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 APG and 0.7 SPG in 176 games. He shot 43% on FGs, 39% from three and 83% from the charity stripe.

In the trade, Cleveland and Chicago swapped the draft rights to foreign players Albert Miralles and Vladimir Veremeenko respectively. Both players have never played in the NBA. Miralles was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2004 draft.

His draft rights were traded to the Miami Heat on the same night, traded to the Boston Celtics the next year, dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011. Cleveland had acquired Miralles in the sign-and-trade involving Matthew Dellavedova and re-routed Miralles rights to Chicago on the same day.

Veremeenko had been selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. His draft rights had been traded to the Chicago Bulls in a 2010 deal that saw Kirk Hinrich and Kevin Seraphin go to the Wizards.

Dunleavy was brought in to provide spacing and three-point shooting to Cleveland’s bench. Though he provided some shooting, Dunleavy saw the least amount of playing time in his career since his rookie season.

Dunleavy was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in January of 2017 with Mo Williams and a top-ten protected first round pick in 2019 for sharpshooter Kyle Korver. He saw action in 23 contests (2 starts) and produced 4.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 0.9 APG in 15.9 MPG.

Veremeenko's rights were dealt by Cleveland two years later to the Los Angeles Clippers for forward Sam Dekker, the rights to Renaldas Seibutis and cash considerations.

Mike Dunleavy on the trade (via Chicago Tribune):

“Obviously I knew if [the Bulls] needed to get cap room, I would be a guy they could move. It came together pretty quickly. When I woke up Wednesday morning, I definitely didn't think I would get traded that night. But it certainly ended up well. I was very appreciative of the Bulls to send me to a place like Cleveland.”

Trying to make things work with the Bulls:

“I was committed to the Bulls last summer. I really wanted to try to make it work there. Things didn't work out the way we all envisioned. I guess I was destined to end up in Cleveland at some point with my travels around the Central Division.”

On joining the 2016 NBA Champion Cavs:

“They already have reached the mountaintop and I wasn't a part of it. So I'm sure there will be a lot of envious moments on my end next year when they have ring night. It will make me hungrier to help them get another one.”

On the Cavaliers after joining the team in training camp (via Cleveland.com):

“Pretty humble group for coming off winning a championship and going to the Finals two years in a row. They like to joke around and have a good time, but when it gets down to doing work they're serious, put the time in and you don't always see that with teams.

“I've been on a lot of teams where guys come and go, show up five minutes before practice and leave right after. We have our best players here an hour and a half early and stay an hour and a half late. Quite honestly, that's kind of new to me.”

How the trade process worked out:

“I found out D-Wade was going to Chicago so at that point I knew I was going to have to get traded and things were up in the air for me for a few hours because I didn't really know where I was going. Finally got a phone call from the Bulls telling me I was coming to Cleveland.”

How the trade worked out:

“Couldn't have worked out any better for in terms of what I'm looking for at this stage of my career. Just really happy about it and looking forward to rocking and rolling this year.”

How he feels healthy after dealing with injuries the previous year:

“I feel good. Last year at this time was not so good. But I got that behind me. I feel great, a whole lot better than I did last year. Looking forward to a healthy season.”

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin on Mike Dunleavy in press release (via Cavs.com):

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome Mike to our Cavaliers family. His size, shooting, basketball IQ, and versatility make him a great fit for our group on the floor. While his experience, professionalism, grit, and team first character will be key for us in the locker room.”

Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue on Dunleavy’s role in training camp conversation (via The Morning Journal):

“He’s going be a great spot-up shooter, being the player he’s always been. Roles are going to change during the course of the season, just like they did for us last season. He’s a veteran guy that can pass the basketball and shoot the basketball. He’ll get open shots on the floor with LeBron, Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin (Love).”

What Dunleavy brings (via Cleveland.com):

“Gives us great shooting. Dunleavy over the last two years I think is shooting 52 percent on open shots. He's a guy who can straight-line drive and then when he gets to the basket he'll make a play or make a pass. Defensively he's always in the right spots.

“I talked to Thibs (former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau, now in Minnesota) about him. He's an underrated defender because he's a great team defender and whatever you do, he's always going to be in the right spot or the right place. I just think when you're playing with guys like Kyrie, Kevin and LeBron, you can get all those you want. If you can shoot the basketball, you can be very valuable.”

Image via USA TODAY SPORTS/Ken Blaze

#Mike Dunleavy Jr #Cavaliers #Bulls #Vladimir Veremeenko #Albert Miralles #2016*17 Season #2016

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