Getty DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls are deep at guard. But that doesn’t mean DeMar DeRozan wouldn’t welcome the addition of one more.
Specifically, DeRozan supports the idea of adding former Toronto Raptors teammate Kyle Lowry.
“Kyle will fit anywhere that I’m at,” DeRozan said, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley on January 24. “If that was something he wanted to do, for sure. Why not? That’s one of my closest friends, one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with since I’ve been in the league, so why not.”
Lowry, 37, was part of the trade package the Miami Heat sent to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier. He is under contract, in the final season of a three-year, $85 million pact.
But Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak was forthcoming about their plans.
“I can’t say that’s something we would look to accomplish right away,” Kupchak told reporters on January 23. “Maybe we wait to see the trade deadline pass … That seems to make the most sense.”
The trade deadline is on February 8. But the buyout market can take until the end of the month to fully develop.
The All-Star break provides team representatives an opportunity to wheel and deal in person.
Kyle Lowry Would Help DeMar DeRozan, Bulls
Lowry is averaging 8.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds this season. He is also shooting 38.5% on 4.4 threes per game.
Despite his small stature, Lowry is a hustle player, something the Bulls have lacked.
Kyle Lowry HUSTLES for the STEAL + calls the timeout so the Heat keep the ball 🔥🔥🔥
This is a Kyle Lowry appreciation post.
Not only for the hustle he provides EVERY NIGHT, the leadership in the locker room, but also his willingness to accept his role and NEVER COMPLAIN.…
“You can never define him by his stats his whole career. And particularly as an ultimate winner, you define him by whether your team is winning or not and how it was functioning,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told the media on January 23. “He’ll be just fine. … And he’ll continue to make an impact.”
Lowry ranks third in charges drawn and 16th in defensive loose ball percentage, both on a per-game basis, per NBA.com.
And on a buyout, the Bulls could get him for cheap, which should play to ownership.
The Bulls are familiar with a player like Lowry, having added Patrick Beverley on a buyout last season. Beverley helped the Bulls make a late push to the Play-In Tournament by solidifying the point guard spot, effectively setting a pecking order in the process.
Coby White Makes Kyle Lowry a Luxury
Retired guard Goran Dragic received credit for making the Bulls look good and the Heat bad for his play while Lowry struggled last season. This season, Coby White’s emergence has led to calls for the fifth-year guard to make it to All-Star weekend from teammate Alex Caruso.
DeRozan, who has helped White, come along in recent years, also touted the former No. 7 overall pick’s growth this season.
But Lowry is as effective off the bench as he is starting if not more at this stage in his career.
If the Bulls trade two-time All-Star Zach LaVine especially, the Bulls could have room for a six-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA selection, and NBA champion. Their last two such additions – Beverley and Caruso – were certainly for the better.