When the Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason, the package they accepted saw them receive widespread criticism as many felt it wasn't sufficient for the All-Star player.

They agreed to part with Butler in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the number seven overall pick in the 2017 draft - which they used to select Lauri Markkanen.

Chicago made the decision to rebuild with a youthful roster and focused on acquiring talented players that could create a competitive team for the future.

With a 3-20 record to begin the campaign, it looked clear that the franchise was tanking and the Bulls fans were fearing a long and frustrating season.

But things can quickly change in the NBA and the men from the Windy City have enjoyed an unexpected resurgence since December which has been keyed by some of their acquisitions from the Butler trade.

Justification

Nikola Mirotic has been a huge reason for their surge as he helped the team go on a long winning streak when he returned but the play of some of their younger players can't go unnoticed either.

Dunn and Markkanen, in particular, have been impressive and have shown real development this campaign.

The former had a miserable rookie season with the Timberwolves after being drafted fifth last year but he's finally showing his potential under head coach Fred Hoiberg who has given him real confidence.

Hoiberg has helped him work on his game and has turned him into a solid point guard on both ends of the floor as he's trusted him to run their offense.

‘‘Coach felt like he had more trust in me,’’ Dunn said, per the Chicago Sun Times. ‘‘I appreciate Coach for having that trust in me.’’

Coach Hoiberg explained that it's the 23-year-old's work ethic and effort that has impressed him the most and led to him being handed the reigns to be their floor general.

"Kris has been great for us. He has really established himself in a leadership-type position," Hoiberg said. "He has made big plays for us down the stretch. We’ve been really impressed with Kris’ work ethic and basketball IQ.’’

Dunn has responded well by producing solid numbers of 13.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game and is primed to be the point guard of the future for the Bulls.

“I’ve seen him have so much more confidence than he had last year,” LaVine told the Chicago Tribune having played with him last season.

“He’s back to (being) that dude everybody loved coming out of the draft. His swagger is back. He’s talking. It’s good to see that.

Their biggest coup in the deal with the T-Wolves was the draft pick that enabled them to bring in Markkanen, who already looks like a star in the making.

On Wednesday night he enjoyed a career-high 33 points as he torched the New York Knicks and put on a remarkable display under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

"I know he's the number one guy teams talk about on scouting reports. He's going to be special, there's no doubt about it," Hoiberg said after the game, per ESPN.

The Finnish power forward has all the attributes of a modern day big man in the current NBA era and is a valuable commodity with the way the game's being played now.

His ability to space the floor, coupled with his inside game makes him dangerous and a potential franchise player for Chicago in the years to come.

Bright future

The decision to offload Butler wasn't an easy one but they had the bigger picture in mind and they've now set themselves up impressively for the future and justified their moves.

With Dunn and Markkanen already displaying positive signs, the final piece of their jigsaw is set to be completed on Saturday as LaVine finally returns to the floor after almost a year out with an ACL injury.

A backcourt partnership between him and Dunn is exciting the team and he's expected to add speed and athleticism to what is already a talented young team.

“They’re two fast-paced guards who are both attack players,” Hoiberg said. “If Zach rebounds, he’s certainly capable of getting the ball down the floor in a hurry and getting us in an offense. And Zach’s overall speed fits with Kris.”

People may have assumed that they were looking to tank the season, but their play on the court recently certainly doesn't indicate that as they're proving to be a tough matchup every night they step on the floor.

“We’re not going to go out there to lose. We work hard every single day. We’re professionals at the end of the day, people have families. Our job is not to lose on purpose," Dunn told the Chicago Sun Times.

“The last few weeks haven’t been an accident. We feel like we can play with anyone.’’

Critics are now being forced to eat their words as the front office can be happy with the choices they made as they're set up for a bright future and will be a real force in the years to come.