The Bulls are coming fresh off the signing of point guard Lonzo Ball and they aren’t ready to stop now. It’s rumored the Bulls are looking to bring over DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs. This would require a double sign and trade between the Bulls and Spurs. One that would send forward Lauri Markkanen to San Antonio in excahnge for DeRozan.
.@WindhorstESPN on Chicago being interested in both Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan:
"From what I am told, [the Bulls] are also interested in DeMar DeRrozan, and are interested in pulling off a possible double sign-and-trade where they would send Lauri Markkanen to San Antonio." pic.twitter.com/b6bM9iATsy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 2, 2021
The Bulls are currently acting as an over-the-cap team and it’s looking like the only way they will be able to get most deals done is through the trade market. With Both Markkanen and DeRozan becoming free agents they will have to do this through the sign and trade option. There was rumored interest from the Spurs for Markkanen so this looks like it could be the right deal for both teams. Depending on the financials for each player the Bulls could be throwing in other players to offset each player’s deal. That is still to be determined if the Bulls in fact move forward with this.
Is DeRozan a good fit?
In this scenario, DeRozan would actually help put Bulls forward Patrick Williams back into his natural position. DeRozan could come in and start at the small forward position allowing Williams to go back to the four. This starting lineup would feature Ball, LaVine, DeRozan, Williams, & Vucevic. That is a major upgrade from this previous season. DeRozan is entering his 13th NBA season but is still a top-quality player. He’s coming off a season averaging 21.6 PPG, 49.5 %FG, 6.9 APG, & 4.2 RPG. Those are great numbers for anyone let alone a 31-year-old DeRozan. He would be an instant fit with this group. The combination of scoring and size would help the Bulls retool an offense that seemed to be heavily dependent on one player. His fit would be seamless with the Bulls and it’s quite the upgrade from Markkanen.
Can the Bulls make it happen?
Knowing the Bulls front office there’s no reason to believe they can’t make it happen. They are going to do as much as they can to get something back from Markkanen. While things didn’t work out with the Bulls he still seems to have a lot of interest in the open market. This front office will certainly do whatever they can to get something in return over letting him walk.
If the rumored interest from the Spurs is true and vice versa then this is going to happen. The Bulls front office feels they have a window of opportunity now and adding a talent like DeRozan while unloading Markkanen is a win-win.
The Bulls are heating up
With the acquisition of Lonzo Ball, the excitement is high in Chicago. Being able to add another player like DeMar Derozan will only increase the hype in Chicago. While we will likely need to wait a little longer to figure out if this is going to happen we already know the Bulls are happy to make deals. Right now the only thing we know is that something will need to happen by Friday if it’s going to happen. Will the Bulls strike again today or will it be later in the week? Now that New Orleans can’t hold the Bulls up by deciding whether to match Lonzo’s offer the floor is the Bulls. Keep your Twitter feed updated as it seems like the Bulls aren’t done upgrading this roster.
