Due to their current five-game deficit from postseason contention and ninth-place standing in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls have been the subject of trade deadline rumors involving some of their more desirable players, notably star small forward DeMar DeRozan.
At the 28:20 minute, though, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst of The Hoop Collective podcast noted, “There is not an expectation that DeRozan is gonna get traded.”
Following Zach LaVine’s announcement of season-ending surgery for his damaged foot earlier in the season, who was also the topic of trade talks, comes this report.
It makes sense, on the one hand, that the Bulls would want to hang onto DeRozan in order to salvage as much of this season as possible.
Fans had hope when the team defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime on Tuesday. However, if nothing is done by the deadline, the inevitable will happen sooner rather than later.
The trade of DeRozan is the first step in the rebuilding process that the Bulls require.
The 34-year-old is shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc and 46.4 percent from the paint while averaging 22.3 points per game.
It is easy to understand why playoff contenders would be interested in getting a guy who can step in, contribute offensively, and help them increase their chances of contending for an NBA title when you factor in 4.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
DeRozan’s contract is about to expire, so the Bulls have two options: either trade him for something valuable, or let him leave in free agency if negotiations over a new deal fail.
The Bulls are too good to let rid of one of their few valuable assets without receiving something worthwhile in exchange.
A team like the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat could legitimately make playoff runs with DeRozan by acquiring him with picks or young assets in exchange. These teams, along with probably a few more, would be thrilled to try their hand at acquiring a former All-Star and transforming their teams’ on-court performance right away.
Rather than implying to league insiders that one of the few players on the roster who teams would be interested in is not available, Chicago, in the state it is in, ought to be licking its chops to listen to any general manager or team president who phones with a possible offer for the forward.
especially since it’s highly possible that they’ll let him get away with not getting paid this offseason.
Twice since Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman led the Bulls to their last title in 1998, the organization has attempted, with disastrous outcomes, to reassemble a competitive squad. You have plenty of reasons to doubt the organization’s ability to turn this around, especially in light of Arturas Karnisovas’s choice to sign LaVine to an almost untradable max contract.
But Coby White has been outstanding this season, putting an end to doubts about his potential to become the player that many had anticipated he would be, at least momentarily.
In each game, he has averaged 19.4, 46.5 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from beyond the arc, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He is the foundation of the team going forward as long as he plays at that caliber.
The Bulls made the proper decision in trading DeRozan, receiving a plethora of players and/or picks in exchange, and utilizing those assets to rebuild the team’s core.
The best course of action is to bring in as much talent as possible, either in exchange for DeRozan or through the draft, since finding a means to dump the LaVine contract would assist but is doubtful at this moment.
If not, DeRozan leaves and the team may watch him win a title with a different group while fully aware that they did the team harm and got nothing in return for him when they could have, making a second rebuilding effort even more difficult.