On Sunday, the Sacramento Kings made the latest blockbuster deal less than a week before the trade deadline by sending De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a massive three-team trade. In return, the Kings landed Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. While there were other pieces to the trade as well, Fox and LaVine are undoubtedly the headliners of the trade.
Following the trade, the Bulls had to open up two roster spots. According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Bulls did exactly this by waiving two players that Pacers fans should be familiar with.
The Bulls officially waive Chris Duarte, Torrey Craig
Per Scotto, the Bulls are moving on from Chris Duarte and Torrey Craig. Both of them were with the Pacers during the 2021-22 season, and Duarte also spent the 2022-23 season in Indiana as well.
The Bulls moving on from on Duarte is not much of a shock. He only appeared in 17 games this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.4 minutes. These were all career lows for the 27-year-old.
As for Craig, though he looked solid when he played, he has not suited up for the team since late December and only appeared in nine games for Chicago this season. In his last game for the Bulls, he recorded 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in an overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets.
What makes the Craig waiving interesting, however, is that he was named a potential trade candidate for multiple teams, including the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, throughout the season. With him now on the move, it will be interesting to see which team, if any, adds the 34-year-old to their roster.
Until then, however, the Pacers are looking to continue their hot streak. To this point, they have only lost two games in 2025 and are the No. 4 seed in the East. Additionally, they have found their groove on both sides of the ball and have reminded the entire league how big of a threat they can be, especially in the playoffs.
Because their two-game series in Paris against the San Antonio Spurs already happened, the Pacers will meet up with Fox again this season. As for LaVine, the Pacers have one more matchup with the Kings on March 31. As one of their final games of the season, this game could be an important one for both fans to monitor for multiple reasons.