Getty Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls are both the subject of trade rumors.
The Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls have been fierce competitors since the 1980s, when Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas ushered in one of the game’s biggest rivalries.
That doesn’t mean the two squads couldn’t come together if a trade that was mutually beneficial came along, however.
With the trade deadline approaching on Thursday, February 9, rumors have been swirling around everyone from defensive specialist Alex Caruso to reserve center Andre Drummond. Superstar Zach LaVine has also been mentioned as a possible trade chip for the Bulls, as has nearly every playmaker on the team at this point.
According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, there’s one member of the Bulls that has been garnering some trade interest from other teams, the Pistons being one of them.
New Report Says Pistons Are Interested in Ayo Dosunmu
Amico’s sources are telling him a few teams have shown interest in 23-year-old shooting guard, Ayo Dosunmu, who has started 78 games for Chicago over his two seasons in the NBA.
“Guard Ayo Dosunmu has also generated some trade interest, sources said, with Pistons and Hornets being mentioned as two teams mildly in pursuit,” Amico wrote on January 27.
The word “mildly” doesn’t suggest anything serious, but the Bulls keep losing very winnable games (see: Chicago’s January 26 loss to the lowly 14-36 Charlotte Hornets), and if that trend continues over the next week, it may not take much for the Bulls to listen to offers.
Hornets are 5-16 at home, the fewest home victories in the NBA. Ball and Hayward are questionable.
This is another can’t miss opportunity for Bulls, who, as of this AM, are closer to 13th-place Orlando (3.5 games) than 6th-place Heat (4 games).
Dosunmu is averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 27.6 minutes per game so far this season (38 starts, 46 appearances). A second-round selection out of the University of Illinois for the Bulls in 2021 (38th overall), the Pistons would likely send another player over if a trade did go down.
A trade between these two rivals isn’t as crazy as one might think.
The last time the Pistons and Bulls made a trade was just five years ago, back in the 2017-18 season, when the Bulls shipped guard Jameer Nelson and a TPE (traded player exception) to Detroit in exchange for center Willie Reed, an exchange of second-round picks and a TPE.
Dosunmu isn’t the only player the Bulls may be interested in dealing, though.
Bulls Also Might Listen to Offers for Top Big Man
According to Amico, Chicago wants to keep LaVine around, and the team is also not too keen on shopping leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (26.3 points per game), but starting center and top rebounder Nikola Vucevic could be on the block.
“The Bulls are telling teams that guard Zach LaVine will not be traded,” Amico wrote. “They seem to be as determined to keep DeMar DeRozan, though may be open to dealing center Nikola Vucevic.”
The Bulls currently have the seventh-worst record in the NBA, and while Vooch is a fan favorite and one of the team’s best players, anything is possible. The 32-year-old big man is averaging a double-double (17.3 points, 11.0 boards) in 33.8 minutes of action per game, so the Bulls could surely get a solid return for him. We’ll know soon enough if that’s what they plan to do.
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Longtime Rival Showing Interest in Trading for Bulls’ Starter: Report