Getty DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls sits on the bench.
This season has quickly spun out of control for the Chicago Bulls (11-18) with no end in sight given their recent level of play. Losers of four straight and seven of their last nine, the NBA vultures are circling what has to look like a wounded animal.
The Bulls have kept a positive message about trying to fight through the adversity together but there has been noticeable frustration, particularly from the likes of DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan has had choice words for his team‘s performances quite often lately.
As an accomplished veteran player who is in the twilight of his career (not that he is planning to retire any time soon), his name is one of the more popular in the rumor mill as we draw nearer to the February 9 trade deadline. And at least one analyst thinks it could be time for a homecoming, just not the one most might think of.
King of The North?
“The Raptors own the No. 29 halfcourt offense in the league,” writes Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, “a glaring weakness for a team that would otherwise profile as a fringe contender. DeRozan’s high-level individual shot creation is exactly what Toronto needs to reorganize its attack.”
Bulls Get:
- Gary Trent Jr.
- Thaddeus Young
- First-Round Picks x2
Raptors Get:
- DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan has statistically been one of the few bright spots for the Bulls this season averaging a healthy 25.9 points per game on 60% true shooting, the second-highest mark of his career.
He also ranks third on the team in net rating at plus-7.3, per Cleaning The Glass, while boasting more than a 300-minute advantage over the two players ahead of him in super-subs Alex Caruso and Javonte Green.
DeMar DeRozan calls the night “embarrassing.”
Per Hughes, DeRozan is “the cure for what ails the Raptors offense.”
“Currently, too many players…are trying (and failing) to function in an alpha role,” Hughes argues. “All of them would benefit from an attention-drawing scorer who could create advantages and open shots for teammates.”
DeRozan ranks in the 92nd percentile among isolation scorers and only two of the players ranked ahead of him – Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden – go 1-on-1 more frequently. The rest of the list does not even crack the 10%-mark in isolation frequency.
A Modest Return
Toronto owns all of their first-round draft picks, a crucial piece in any DeRozan hypothetical trade scenario. As NBC Sports Chicago Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported, DeRozan is likely the Bulls’ most valuable trade asset given his contract relative to that of teammates Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
“DeRozan also represents the Bulls’ best opportunity to recoup draft capital,” Johnson explains. “The Bulls surrendered three future first-round picks to assemble this roster…and likely would desire to restock that cupboard should they pivot off this core.”
The issue could be the player element.
Gary Trent Jr. coming up with the 3!
Neither player Hughes suggests is the kind of high-upside pieces rebuilding teams like the Bulls would often seek in these types of deals nor is there the quantity to make up for it.
Young, a former Bulls is 34 years old and has seen his production drop to career-low levels with 5.1 points per game, though it comes on 57.9% true shooting. Trent, 23, is mired in a down season from beyond the arc but is a 38.2% career shooter. He also has an $18.5 million player option for next year.
Hughes does mention forward OG Anunoby as a potential substitute for Trent.
That would certainly raise the ceiling on this return package but, if the trade works for Toronto as Hughes suggests, the picks would have to be pretty far out to avoid being late in the first round.
A Bitter Sweet Return
Hughes notes that DeRozan would be the closest thing to the addition of Kawhi Leonard in 2019 for the Raptors simply by allowing the rest of the team to slot into more appropriate roles if not in his ability to score.
Ironically, it was DeRozan whom the Raptors traded to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Leonard (and a championship).
It would be a full-circle, bittersweet exit from Chicago and return to Toronto for DeRozan.