With the NBA trade deadline set for Thursday afternoon, deals are continuing to roll in across the league. Just before the clock hit 10 a.m. ET, the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves got together to make a trade.
According to a report from Shams Charania, former Tennessee basketball standout Julian Phillips is on the move. The Bulls are sending Phillips and Ayo Dosunmu to the Timberwolves for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks.
This sends Phillips from a Chicago team that sat at 10th in the East at 24-27 to Minnesota, which is at 32-20 and fifth in the West.
Phillips has appeared in 35 games this season while making two starts. In an average of 9.5 minutes per game, he is averaging 2.8 points on 42% shooting from the field and 32.7% on 3-pointers. He also posts 1.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists per outing.
This is his third year in the NBA, all of which he’s spent with the Bulls. His best season yet was a year ago, in which he averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
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Phillips spent just one season at Tennessee before entering the NBA draft. As a freshman, he recorded 8.3 points per game on 41.1% shooting from the field and 23.9% on 3-pointers. He also added 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 32 appearances and 25 starts.
This resulted in Phillips being drafted with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 draft. He stands at 6-foot-6 and 198 pounds.
Phillips, a McDonald’s All-American, was considered a five-star recruit out of high school. 247 Composite listed him as the No. 15 player in the 2022 class out of Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. He was the No. 6 small forward and top player from the state, as well.
Phillips picked Tennessee over the likes of Clemson, Wake Forest, LSU, Florida State, USC and more.
