The Chicago Bullshave unsuccessfully tried to put together a winning roster. NBA analysts and fans believe they should shake things up and move either Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan for depth pieces.
Notably, they would be wiser to try and build around the younger star, making DeRozan the likeliest trade candidate. Even at his age, he should still gauge plenty of interest.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s NBA staff put together an interesting mock trade to send him to the Los Angeles Clippers in return for depth pieces and a first-round draft pick.
NBA Rumors: Bulls Could Send DeRozan To The Clippers
(Via Bleacher Report)
“L.A. Clippers acquire DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls for Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Amir Coffey and a 2028 first-round pick (protected 1-4).“
“We’ve spent the better part of two years wringing our hands over the Clippers’ lack of a backcourt playmaker. They’ve long needed one of those to ease the shot-creation load on Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. But who says that job has to go to a conventional point guard?”
“DeRozan has averaged over 5.0 assists per game in five of his last six seasons (a streak interrupted by a 4.9-per-game figure in 2021-22), and his ability to pull in help defenders as he gets into his mid-range bag serves the same purpose as a standard pick-and-roll point guard. DeRozan would get highly exploitable matchups with teams using their toughest defenders on George and Leonard, and he could easily operate as a facilitator or overpowering on-on-one scorer.”
“If Chicago wants to extract some value for DeRozan’s expiring contract before potentially losing him for nothing, this is a solid return. Powell is under contract for two more years after this one and could easily be flipped for another first-rounder, and Covington’s money comes off the books next summer. Coffey and an intriguing 2028 pick that could pay off if the Clips crater in the second half of this decade should be enough to get this done.”
This is the ultimate win-win move for everybody involved. Even LaVine could benefit from being the undisputed alpha scorer, and both teams would be in a much better situation than they are nowadays.
