With Zach LaVine out for the rest of the season after opting for foot surgery, the Bulls‘ most important decision at the trade deadline will involve DeMar DeRozan, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Mayberry believes the organization should think twice about committing big money to the 34-year-old forward, who will be a free agent this summer. DeRozan and the team haven’t been able to reach a deal in extension talks, and Mayberry questions whether it’s wise to keep the core of the team together amid another mediocre season.
Thursday’s deadline provides an immediate opportunity to part with DeRozan, Mayberry notes, adding that the Bulls should be able to obtain draft assets or young talent from a contender in need of a veteran scorer.
There’s also the possibility of an offseason sign-and-trade, but Mayberry points out that waiting until summer presents the risk of losing DeRozan in free agency with nothing in return. Holding DeRozan’s Bird rights, the Bulls will have the advantage of being able to offer him more money than rival teams, but Mayberry states that DeRozan won’t have any other reason to stay in Chicago if he wants to be part of a winner.
There’s more on the Bulls:
- Veteran center Andre Drummond is a target of several teams, including the Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. He adds that the Rockets considered making an offer for Drummond before acquiring Steven Adams last week. Scotto points out that Drummond carries significant value for teams in need of rebounding as he’s collecting 18.9 boards per 36 minutes this season.
- The Bulls are asking for two first-round picks in exchange for Alex Caruso, Scotto adds. In addition to being a defensive standout, Caruso is viewed as a bargain because of his $9.89MM salary for next season. Scotto also hears that teams are keeping an eye on the potential availability of Patrick Williams, who wasn’t able to reach a rookie scale extension agreement before the start of the season.
- K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago examines the trading record of president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and speculates how it might influence the team’s direction at this year’s deadline.
1) There is NO reason to keep Demar if Lavine is out. They aren’t going to get past the play in game so the idea to keep him beyond Thursday, is stupid.
2) Andre Drummond should get us a high 2nd round pick. His rebounding is too valuable to just let go for nothing.
3) AC is the best defensive backcourt player available on the trade block. He also has a $9M team friendly deal as well. This should be able to get the assets they are targeting. If nobody wants to pony it up, you keep AC because he is a difference maker on defense when healthy.
4) We are screwed. Nobody is coming thru that door and helpnig this team to reach back to respectability.
Bulls probably can get a 1st rounder and a good young player for DeRozan how he still can play. So it comes down to being a play in team or build for the future. They should think more of becoming a better young team in the future.
Oh yeah, DDR can still get you buckets. I think a a good young player would be icing on the cake, but unsure who/or what will be offering that for Demar? We need a PF so Williams can play the 3, his natural position.
DeRozan doesn’t have great value. He is on an expiring deal. The only interest will come from a true contender, who must also send back salary and young assets to the Bulls.
Caruso isn’t going to get you a pair of first-round picks. Not likely to bring back anything more than a late first-rounder.
Andre Drummond is a back-up center who typically plays 15 minutes per night for a non-contending Bulls team. He ain’t bringing back a high 2nd round pick.
Bulls best option is to let Zach LaVine heal. If he returns to the player he was before this year, he will have enhanced trade value, or you can just keep him. When he is right. He is the Bulls best player.
DeRozan has value. A expiring contract is valuable. So why not trade him and there is contenders out there that will trade a 1st round pick for him with other assets. With how little defensive players are out there on the trading blocks Caruso becomes valuable.
@arc 2 Denver, Milwaukee, Boston, L.A. Clippers and Phoenix ….. Those are your title contenders. Every single one of them is maxed out. Adding DeMar doesn’t push OKC or Minnesota past them. No reason for a non title contending team to trade for 30 games of DeMar DeRozan.
I am not sold on Bucks or Celtics dominating the east. 76ers, cavs, Knicks, Pacers, and heat could all be in for the championship. I wouldn’t count out T-wolves, OKC, Pelican, or Mavs contending.
OKC would be the perfect fit for Demar. Bertans/Wallace and a pick would get the job done.
Caruso has $9M on the books for next year, you are truly deeming his worth based on his offensive skillset. There’s teams that would want a lockdown perimeter defender with championship experience come spring time. I’m not saying we should get two unprotected picks, but 1 unprotected and 1 lottery protected + a decent young good player would do the trick.
If we allow to let Lavine heal, it only makes the fanbase even more restless. This is Year 4 of AKME and we have one playoff win to show for it. There’s so many lingering issues with this team that I cannot list them all. If we run it back with Lavine, we’re basically trying to justify the worst contact in the NBA today. He’ll turn 28 next year but he has maybe 2-3 years before he goes away and rides the bench to finish his career. Why would the Bulls to pay that kind of money to a player who hasn’t lifted anyone’s game, much less his own? He’s been here for almost 6-7 years and hasn’t produced when the pressure is on him to be the franchise player. What changes now? Just because he is healed? It’s the same dog mentality he still possesses that makes us fans starting to resent him.
3) Drummond’s 36 PER he is getting 18 RPG this year. He’s still young, he’s not ancient by any means. He turned 30 last August. A mid 2nd round would still do the trick.
Do you really think OKC is gonna trade Wallace, their 1st round pick this year, for 30 games of DeMar DeRozan????
Don’t you think they could get a better deal involving Wallace, and their stockpile of draft picks in the offseason??? Perhaps gear up for a title run next year??? Allow Holmgren and Jalen Williams another year of maturity???
Yes, because they want to move the Davis Bertans contract and he has another $17M remaining next year. With DeRozan, they can reset their cap situation, and make a strong push in the West. They have so many assets that you cannot keep all of them. Moving DB’s contract and getting another veteran who has been in the battles of playoff basketball does not hurt anyone here. Demar plays for the playoffs, Bulls get assets and OKC gets DB’s contract off next year.
Bertans’ contract next season is not guaranteed; he’s basically an expiring deal. That aside, getting off one year of a contract isn’t worth Wallace alone, let alone plus a first. Even DeMar in return isn’t a good fit for them. They need a 4 who can play defense. DeMar is neither of those things.
OKC doesn’t need all that much if anything to make a deep playoff push and they don’t need DeMar. Their starting forwards are Jalen Williams at 6’5″ 211 and Dort at 6’4″ 220. Williams should be starting at SF or SG and Dort should be the 7th man. I’m surprised they didn’t make a push for Siakim but since that’s off the table and they really wanted a Chicago Bull a player like Vučević might make sense since Holmgren is versatile enough to play 3-5.
Bertāns, a first and a second for Vučević.
I’d do the deal to get Vu’s deal off the books. Still fuming over that idiotic resigning.
There was nothing wrong with resigning Vuc. His contract isn’t all that burdensome for his production and he’s a decent trade asset. If they’d let him walk they wouldn’t have cleared any meaningful cap space.
Right, like the trade for him was ill advised because the Bulls weren’t “that team”. But dude is underrated and productive, he would be a good fit for several teams.
GSW?
Agreed. In regards to LaVine, the Bulls don’t have any other options but to hope that LaVine can successfully return to being the scorer that he is. When healthy, LaVine is an explosive scorer.
Bulls should trade EVERYONE.
Ironically the one guy the Bulls really need to trade is the guy who isn’t going anywhere before the season ends. Sigh. Where’s all the people who called me an idiot when I said trade Lavine at the deadline in the last year he was making 18 million? How different would the team look with all the assets we could of gotten then? I said giving him a Max deal was basically suicide. Again-Sigh.
Ehh, looking back it’s easy to say they should’ve traded LaVine. At the time they resigned him though he was coming off two great seasons. With a little injury Luck and some slightly different circumstances LaVine could’ve and still could have much the same impact as Devin Booker. Most would say at the very worst Booker is a top 15 player in the league and he’s been a fringe MVP candidate in the past.
Should the Lakers or 76ers bid for Caruso?
Who has a better offer?
Lakers:
2029 unprotected First
2030 First Swap
76ers
2028 Clippers unprotected First
Via Thunder – almost fully protected First
Caruso is going to cost more than a pick. Bulls will want a young player including in the trade.
The Bulls would be fools not to take what they can get for Drummond and Derozan. Surely OKC can come off some picks for Caruso.
Maybe Davis Bertans/Cason Wallace and a future pick in 2026 would do the trick for AC?
Didn’t you already suggest this for DeMar?
Hopefully a worthy team trades for Derozen.
Bulls are not rebuilding and they don’t need 2030 picks.Most likely they will give priority for young upside players or immediate 24-25 first/second rounders to match White’s,Dosunmu’s,Williams’s extension timelines.They have already a young core to play with,they don’t need to start from zero.There are plenty of young talented players from previous drafts,who can’t get playing time on contending teams rosters
Bulls have an opportunity to retool fast. But 2FRPs for Caruso is a non starter.
Caruso – FRP, expiring deal.
Drummond – 2 or 3 SRP, min or no contract depending on partner.
DeRozan – FRP, expiring deals ideally
Pat Williams – Swap for another prospect on his rookie deal that you have a better shot at extending cheaper.
Vucevic – FRP and a bad contract is likely.
LaVine – You own him.
Mavs could do Kleber, Holmes and a FRP for Vucevic.
Pat Wil – Wiseman straight up?
DeRozan, Drummond, and Caruso – lots of suitors
Bulls are likely gonna do nothing. This FO is a joke. Also Jerry Reinsdorf just wants the extra revenue from one or two play in games. That’s how cheap he is….
Blow it up! It would be foolish not to. The Ball injury really set this franchise back. The Lavine injury doesn’t help.
Trade everyone not named Coby White (and even him if someone wants to overpay).
There’s only to places to be in pro sports. At the bottom, clearing cap space and acquiring draft capital for a quick rebuild OR contending with a bonafide playoff team. The middle is the worst place to be.
This team is obviously a lot closer to the bottom than the top. Blow up the roster!
Clearing cap space ?
Do you know who the last 3 largest free agent signings were in free agency ?
I’ll give you one Gordon Hayward
The same guy you wanna send out his bird rights DdR will probably get the highest sum this year – Free agency is dead and it ain’t coming back
The knicks just played the “ middle “ and have one of the healthiest teams in all the nba – How many wanted to trade Randle for” schuff “ 2 years ago ?
Yep, dead and buried. On the max level, you’d have to go back to 2019. That was two CBA’s ago, and the CBA changes essentially “plugged” any possible gap in the FA destruction rules from the prior CBA’s.
Five years (six when you count this summer, baked in). Yet, so many fans still talk about getting cap space to sign impact FA’s, and use dated terms like FA destination, etc. Today, teams re-up any talent they have so as to increase payroll to have matching contracts for trades, which is now the only likely avenue (other than tanking) to adding impact talent.
Or maybe you could just go back to last off-season. Yup, I just double checked to make sure but the Rockets did indeed sign VanVleet to 3 year max with a club option on the 3rd.
Sure did Toad, they (massively) overpayed as well to get him…kinda like Hayward ….do we see any patterns….Think bigger…The Q was last 3 as well, Congrats on contributing tho to the original point
Its going to be hard for 2k nation to understand the new stricter CBA when they failed to understand the last one after years of being in existence . Its going to be a bit frustrating/comical watching the dogs chase their tails while throwing out safe words like cap space and such
DXC spot on per usual and nice Max drop/2019 ! Kawahi right??…. Unbelievable this stuff fly’s over so many heads
Here’s your other two players and 2 bonus players. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019 by the Nets. I don’t care that Durant was technically a sign and trade as he took less than what he would’ve gotten paid by the Warriors or that it didn’t work out as intended. They were still big name free agents that changed teams. Jimmy Butler by the Heat and Kawhi Leonard by the clippers as your bonuses
No it’s not normal for DXC to be spot-on nor is he this time. Since the inception of free agency back in 1988 big time free agents have rarely changed teams The 2018-19 off season was an exception, not the norm, you had the occasional LeBron James signing and overpays like Al Jefferson but it’s not like there were multiple big moves every off-season.
Yep, 2019 was the last year that there were Max Players actually available in Free Agency. That year saw Kawhi, Durant (S&T), KI and Butler (who moved by S&T, but was a UFA) change teams. None since, and the CBA rules changed since, making it unlikely to happen again. The earlier extensions for longer periods, the extra 5% for players still with their RSC team, and the 40% extension raises, are two of the many new rules that kill the already dead horse.
Toad1 – Bringing up FVV completely misses the point. First, he didn’t really get a max deal, because it was only 2 years guaranteed vs 4. But more importantly, if TOR had offered him the max ($$ and years) via extension, he would of course have accepted it (he indicated this) and never hit free agency. Durant, KI and Kawhi (and Butler) were offered real max extensions by their current teams, and chose to switch teams from a team that wanted them. If max free agency only exists if the player’s existing team no longer wants him at max, then – yes – max free agency is DEAD.
As soon as Ball was made the final piece this team looked like a sinking ship…
As much as the new FO tried they are hamstrung by the decisions of Jerry…
They can only spend enough to make it look like they are trying… They can probably tank and draft to get competitive, but forget about contending…
I fully expect a retool to be the selling point for next season… When it’s closer to a rebuild…