NBA Trade Verdict

Nuggets Win

Chicago sent J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry), and the outgoing package produced materially greater realized value.

July 20, 2006 Chicago Bulls / Denver Nuggets Record confidence: High

Chicago Bulls Received

Player Howard Eisley
Draft Pick 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray)
Draft Pick 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry)

Denver Nuggets Received

Player J.R. Smith

Chicago Bulls

D-

Denver Nuggets

Trade Analysis

What the Trade Actually Moved

This July 20, 2006 transaction between Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets is best read from the complete exchange rather than from one familiar name. Chicago sent J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry), and the outgoing package produced materially greater realized value. The trade included 4 pieces: Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry), and J.R. Smith. That matters because players, draft rights, picks, cash, and transaction mechanisms can serve very different purposes even when they appear in the same deal. The retrospective question is therefore not which side received the longer list. It is which package produced the stronger basketball or asset value that the record can actually trace.

Why the Verdict Lands Here

The verdict is Nuggets Win, with Denver Nuggets graded A and Chicago Bulls graded D-. The realized-value outcome is a clear loss for Chicago. Smith developed into a long-term scorer and Sixth Man of the Year, while Chicago received little on-court value. The trade sacrificed upside for short-term roster management. That existing evaluation provides the spine of the grade rather than a new theory layered on top of it. The separation comes from comparing what each side actually received: Denver Nuggets took in J.R. Smith, while Chicago Bulls took in Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). Timing, roster fit, salary structure, and front-office intent can explain why a deal was made, but the final grade follows the durable value that emerged from the exchange.

The Winning Side: Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets' side of the trade centered on J.R. Smith. Denver acquired J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley and two second-round picks. Smith became a high-volume scorer and important member of multiple playoff teams, vastly outperforming the outgoing package. The combination of peak performance and years of team value makes Denver's advantage clear. The low acquisition cost and his multi-year role make the value gap unmistakable. Read together with the list of assets, that perspective supports the A grade without requiring every incoming piece to become a major success. A winning trade can be driven by one high-impact player, a converted draft asset, several useful contributors, or a combination of basketball value and flexibility. Here, the stronger package is the one that better converted the return into value tied directly to this transaction, which is why Denver Nuggets sits on the favorable side of Nuggets Win.

What Chicago Bulls Still Received

Chicago Bulls received Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). The realized-value outcome is a clear loss for Chicago. Smith developed into a long-term scorer and Sixth Man of the Year, while Chicago received little on-court value. The trade sacrificed upside for short-term roster management. The D- grade does not mean that the losing side received nothing or acted without a plausible objective. It records the gap between that return and the value created by Denver Nuggets' package. The distinction is useful in historical grading: a team can gain a rotation player, financial relief, a pick, or a short-term fit and still lose the broader exchange if the other side captures substantially more production, longevity, or asset conversion.

Final Verdict

Nuggets Win. The grades are Denver Nuggets A and Chicago Bulls D-. The decision rests on the package and the value it produced: Denver Nuggets' return was led by J.R. Smith, while Chicago Bulls' side was built around Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). The grade does not retroactively judge every front-office motive; it judges the completed exchange. On that basis, the stronger realized return belongs to Denver Nuggets, and the distance between the two grades reflects how clearly the transaction's most meaningful value finished on that side.

For Hardcore NBA Heads

Chicago Bulls–Denver Nuggets: What the Trade Became

The deeper story of the July 20, 2006 deal is how a transaction that can look compact on a ledger produced a lasting separation in value. The four locked transaction sources establish the exchange from both franchise histories, while the canonical analysis explains why the result is graded Denver Nuggets A and Chicago Bulls D-. The useful historical exercise is to follow the assets after the agreement without drifting into unrelated later transactions. That keeps the focus on what this deal itself delivered: Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry), and J.R. Smith.

The Asset That Defined the Trade

The center of the winning return was J.R. Smith. The realized-value outcome is a clear loss for Chicago. Smith developed into a long-term scorer and Sixth Man of the Year, while Chicago received little on-court value. The trade sacrificed upside for short-term roster management. Those details matter more than simple asset count because trade value is rarely distributed evenly across every line item. A single starter, premium draft conversion, or high-leverage piece can outweigh several smaller considerations. In this case, the trade identifies the outcome that created the decisive gap, and the A grade captures that advantage while remaining tied to the actual exchange documented on July 20, 2006.

What the Secondary Pieces Added

The secondary pieces still matter because they define what each front office paid to reach its objective. Denver Nuggets received J.R. Smith, while Chicago Bulls received Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). When a package includes cash, draft rights, protected picks, exceptions, or lower-usage players, those items are treated as supporting value rather than automatically equated with a proven contributor. The record weighs what they became, what role they served, and whether they materially narrowed the gap created by the leading assets. Here, they did not overturn the direction of the verdict.

Why Context Does Not Erase Outcome

Both sides can have understandable trade-day logic without producing equal outcomes. Denver received J.R. Smith from Chicago Bulls, sending Howard Eisley; 2007 second-round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray); 2007 second-round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry) in return. Chicago sent J.R. Smith for Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry), and the outgoing package produced materially greater realized value. Those team descriptions help preserve the original shape of the bargain: one franchise was acquiring J.R. Smith, while the other was taking back Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). Historical grading separates rationale from result. Salary needs, roster balance, timing, and opportunity cost belong in the context, but they do not erase the later evidence when one return produces more useful or more durable value.

How the Grades Fit the Record

The grade spread—Denver Nuggets A, Chicago Bulls D-—is consistent with the trade details rather than with a generic winner/loser label. Denver Nuggets' side is credited for the value attached to J.R. Smith; Chicago Bulls' side is credited for Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry) and any legitimate purpose those assets served. The final margin reflects the difference between those outcomes. That is especially important for trades involving multiple asset types, because a pick, player, cash payment, or contractual mechanism should be judged by its documented consequence instead of by the fact that it occupied a line in the package.

Deep-Dive Verdict

Nuggets Win. The grades support the same conclusion: Denver Nuggets A, Chicago Bulls D-. Public sources confirm what changed hands, and the two analyses show how each team viewed the package. The deciding evidence is the realized value described in the analysis, not the number of components or the reputation of a single name in isolation. Denver Nuggets' return, centered on J.R. Smith, finished ahead of the value Chicago Bulls obtained from Howard Eisley, 2007 second round pick (less favorable of Celtics, Warriors picks) (#49-Aaron Gray), and 2007 second round pick (#51-JamesOn Curry). That makes the verdict durable as a historical judgment while still leaving room to recognize any useful pieces or defensible objectives on the losing side.

Research sources (4)