Getty Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls looks on.
Not everyone is sold that the Chicago Bulls will turn things around by the time the playoffs roll around. They are currently 11th in a stacked Eastern Conference but sit just two wins out of the 10-seed and a would-be spot in the Play-In Tournament.
While they have greater expectations – they are also 2.5 games back of the six-seed – the season could still go in the opposite direction as they try to wait out Lonzo Ball’s return.
There have been plenty of suggestions on what they should do if their slide continues.
While most would have them consider going into the tank in hopes of keeping their draft pick in 2023, there is another reason they might want to consider moving at least one of their star veterans. DeMar DeRozan is still performing at a high level and, despite his age, could still fetch a sizeable return in one analyst’s estimation.
Deebo for Picks
Morten Jensen of Forbes notes that the rest of December could be very telling for this Bulls team. They will face the New York Knicks three times in nine days but, outside of that, will face three other teams with winning records in seven games before the calendar flips.
If they cannot make up the ground to get back into the playoff picture, Jensen suggests they revisit a popular hypothetical scenario that would send DeRozan to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bulls Get:
- Patrick Beverley
- Kendrick Nunn
- Lonnie Walker IV
- 1st Round Picks (2027, 2029)
Lakers Get:
- Tony Bradley
- DeMar DeRozan
- Marko Simonovic
“Being able to replenish the empty draft pick cupboard is a perfectly fine start to re-tooling this roster once more,” Jensen offers. “One could argue that sitting on DeRozan, only to let his contract expire in 2024, would be a complete waste of an asset, especially as the outlook of competitiveness has slimmed to this extent.”
Lost in the shuffle of AJ Griffin’s extremely impressive game-winner: DeMar DeRozan went to the line for three free throws with 0.5 left, Bulls down two.
All three were pinpoint perfect. Dude is clutch.
The Bulls will send their 2023 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic thanks to the trade for Nikola Vucevic unless it falls in the top four, an outcome that currently has a 20% chance of happening, per Tankathon.com.
They still owe another top-10 protected first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs from the trade that brought DeRozan to Chicago.
Chicago does own the rights to a lottery-protected first-rounder from the Portland Trail Blazers.
But that is not guaranteed to convey this season and is protected until 2028. That leaves them without clean and clear premium draft capital to trade until 2027 at the earliest unless they remove previous restrictions.
“The Lakers have been heavily rumored as a DeRozan destination,” notes Jensen. “If Anthony Davis stays healthy, and continues his MVP caliber play, the Lakers could be motivated enough by the glare of another championship that forking over both the 2027 and 2029 first-rounders, fully unprotected, wouldn’t be an entirely unrealistic scenario.”
“They’re gonna prioritize shooting on the marketplace… Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier – those are the type of guys they’re gonna look at…”
@ShamsCharania on the Lakers trade urgency
An Unlikely Scenario
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas had no interest in taking back Russell Westbrook. There are reports the Lakers want to retain Westbrook amid his resurgence off the bench.
This particular deal would figure to alleviate that issue. But it does present the Bulls with another by adding to their logjam at guard.
And then there is the performance of the pieces coming back.
Beverley, 34, is a Chicago native and is averaging 4.6 points on 43.6% true shooting both of which are career lows. There were calls to keep him out of the game and rotation during the Lakers’ 122-118 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. The 6-foot-1 defensive specialist — the Lakers are 9.2 points per 100 possessions better defensively when he is on the floor — is on a one-year, $13 million deal.
Nunn, 27, is also a Chicago native. He missed all of last season dealing with a knee injury similar to Ball’s and has returned to a limited role averaging 5.3 points on 44.9% true shooting. He is in the final year of a two-year, $10.25 million deal.
Walker, 24, is having a career year as a full-time starter averaging 15.7 points on 59.1% true shooting including a 39.5% mark from beyond the arc.
He is on a one-year, $6.48 million deal.
The draft capital is still the star of this scenario. Although tempting, having to bank on assets so far down the road figures to be a hindrance to getting a deal of this sort worked out.