Getty Dennis Schroder drives on Alex Caruso.
The Chicago Bulls addressed their point guard position in the offseason by acquiring Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans. The UCLA product rewarded Chicago for trusting him to be its floor general by averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in his first 35 games of the season.
Unfortunately, Ball underwent left knee surgery at the end of January and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The Bulls also lost Alex Caruso after the former Los Angeles Lakers guard broke his wrist and went under the knife.
Rookie Ayo Dosunmu has played well since entering the starting lineup for Ball, averaging 12.7 points and 6.5 assists. However, it appears the Bulls want to add more guard depth while Ball and Caruso are out.
Bulls Interested in Celtics’ Dennis Schroder
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Bulls have discussed a trade with the Boston Celtics that would send Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick to Beantown in exchange for Schroder. The Celtics are trying to trade Schroder and Josh Richardson.
Schroder is averaging 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season while shooting 43.6% from the field, 34.8% from beyond the arc and 84.4% from the free-throw line. He’s making $5.9 million and becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
The Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference standings behind the stellar play of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. While they don’t necessarily need Schroder since Dosunmu and Coby White (12.8 points and 2.7 assists) have put up solid numbers since Ball and Caruso got injured, it can’t hurt to add a fast guard who can get to the rim at will, finish in heavy traffic and play aggressive defense.
Bulls Could Benefit from Adding Schroder
The Bulls will make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2017. The game slows down in the postseason and half-court execution is at a premium.
With that said, the Bulls could benefit from adding Schroder, who has career averages of 13.3 points and 3.9 assists in the playoffs. His driving ability could collapse defenses and free up shooters on Chicago for open looks from beyond the arc. The nine-year veteran also uses his quickness to play fierce defense against opposing point guards, something Caruso saw up close and personal in 2020-21 when he played with Schroder on the Lakers.
The Bulls are 19th in the NBA in defensive rating. They would likely become a better defensive team if they added Schroder, who averages just under a steal per game for his career. It will be fascinating to see if Chicago’s front office, led by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, pulls the trigger on a Schroder deal. However, don’t expect Karnisovas to show his hand.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Karnisovas chooses to operate in the dark.
“According to several basketball executives in the last week, the Bulls remain one of the toughest organizations to get a read on because Karnisovas plays things close to the vest,” Cowley reported. “And little seems to leak out.”
The NBA trade deadline is on February 10. The Bulls were linked to Schroder last summer before he signed with the Celtics, so it will be interesting to see if he gets traded to Chicago.