Getty Billy Donovan
The Chicago Bulls have already overhauled their roster with the additions of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.
They also added 23-year-old rim protector Tony Bradley on Wednesday. Even with those moves, and the potential of a sign-and-trade for Markkanen is still on the table. In addition to what they’ve done, and the possibilities of moving Markkanen, the Bulls have been linked to retired former 7-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
The 36-year-old big man retired last season because of a heart condition, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Aldridge is considering a comeback.
Wojnarowski tweeted the following in two separate tweets:
ESPN Sources: After medical consultation, seven-time All-Star F LaMarcus Aldridge is seriously considering a return to the NBA this season. Aldridge retired with Brooklyn in mid-April with heart concerns, but is exploring the possibility of resuming his 15-year career. Aldridge ultimately needs team medical clearance to sign a contract to play and is expected to have conversations with individual teams in the coming weeks, per sources. Aldridge has yet to make a final decision on playing again.
Can the Bulls use a player on the wrong side of 30 and dangerously close to 40 after sitting out nearly an entire season?
Bulls Beat Writer Links Bulls to Aldridge
NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson mentioned the Bulls connections to Aldridge, despite the fact the former All-Star has never actually played a game for the team.
Johnson wrote:
Before Aldridge’s retirement, league chatter existed that the Chicago Bulls might pursue him this offseason. The Bulls, of course, once briefly owned the draft rights to Aldridge, which they traded to the Trail Blazers in 2006 for the rights to Tyrus Thomas. And, of course, this chatter existed before Bulls management completely revamped the roster. So, like Aldridge, the status is up in the air. However, Aldridge could make sense as a veteran presence and reserve scorer who likely would return on a minimum contract. He would only add to the Bulls’ frontcourt depth chart, which currently consists of Nikola Vučević, Tony Bradley, Patrick Williams and 2020 second-round pick Marko Simonović.
What happens with Markkanen could have some impact on the Bulls’ potential pursuit of Aldridge and other backup bigs.
The Bulls Need Defense
While Aldridge is a borderline Hall-of-Famer, even in his prime, he was never a strong defender. At 36, he’s likely going to be even worse on that end of the floor. With the Bulls’ starting lineup already looking like a potentially defensive-challenged unit, head coach Billy Donovan is going to have to lean heavily on his second unit to be a defense-first group.
Caruso, Troy Brown Jr., and Bradley should help in that area while Coby White has struggled to assist the team in getting stops, and early on, rookie Marko Simonovic may also find the going to be tough on defense. Adding in a player like Aldridge might be the wrong idea for Chicago.
Stay tuned. Whether it’s a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that lands the Bulls another frontcourt player or the ill-advised signing of Aldridge, the aggressive Chicago summer isn’t over yet.