Michael Carter-Williams won the Rookie of the Year back in 2014 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He earned the award mostly due to his stellar play in his first year, averaging 16 points per game, six rebounds and six assists and also thanks to a weak draft class. Many had hopes he could usher in a new wave of NBA point guards with MCW as one of the young future stars. Just under three years later, he’s being released to unrestricted free agency. Since the NBA contracts have been documented with qualifying offers, Carter-Williams will become the first Rookie of the Year to finish out his initial rookie deal and not get tendered a qualifying offer.
The Bulls have a glut of point guards, including the recent acqusition of Kris Dunn from the Minnesota Timberwolves, there appears to be no space remaining for Carter-Williams on the team.
The following comes from David Kaplan of ESPN 1000 who spoke to Bulls Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.
Bulls will not submit a qualifying offer to Michael Carter-Williams + he will become unrestricted free agent. Per John Paxson on @ESPN1000
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) June 27, 2017
76ers general manager Sam Hinkie traded Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks at the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline. Hinkie made the move at just about the right time before MCW’s stock dropped. In the deal, the Sixers received the Los Angeles Lakers 2018 first-round pick that Philadelphia used earlier this summer to trade up in the 2017 NBA Draft to select Markelle Fultz. Philly Fans thanked MCW for his sacrifice. He spent next season with the Bucks but he was later dealt to the Chicago Bulls before the 2016-17 season began in exchange for Tony Snell.
Carter-Williams saw his playing time dramatically decrease with the Bulls, making just 19 starts and playing only 45 games. He averaged 6.6 points and 2.5 assists, well below his career averages of 13.0 and 5.4.
