3. Carlos Boozer, Power Forward/Center
In the latter end of his NBA career, 6-foot-9 and 260 pound former Duke Blue Devils big man Carlos Boozer did have some quality years with the Bulls. But he didn’t get his chance with the Bulls, and that talented young core in the Windy City, until the early 2010’s.
Originally Boozer was a second round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2002 NBA Draft. Boozer was a gem find for the Cavaliers out of the gates, and he was even better during his run with the Utah Jazz. He was a two-time NBA All-Star selection, 2002-03 All-Rookie Team selection, and one-time All-NBA team selection.
During the 2010 offseason, the Bulls and former vice president of basketball operations John Paxson made a pretty good trade deal to get Boozer from the Jazz for a second round pick and Mario Austin. But that was a sign-and-trade deal that brought Boozer to the Windy City.
While Boozer was a decent part of the Bulls during the early 2010’s, it does appear that D-Rose valued having star big man Pau Gasol in the mix more so than the former Blue Devil. The Bulls parted ways with Boozer prior to landing Gasol ahead of the 2014-15 season. Rose reportedly (NBA.com) stated “we needed him”, in regards to the Bulls landing Gasol ahead of the 2014-15 season.
This is not necessarily to say that the Bulls didn’t value having Boozer in the mix, but Gasol was a pretty big upgrade to the frontcourt rotation. It’s hard to find a final name to put on this list, but Rose was clearly in favor of landing the latter of those two big men.