The looming March 25 trade deadline around the NBA is going to have a big impact on what’s to come for first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the season. And with a number of Bulls rumors circulating in recent weeks given some of the lackluster performances for the team since the All-Star Break let out last week, there could be a lot of action just around the corner in the Windy City.
First-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have a lot of work to do on this roster. That really became apparent in two collapses earlier in this week that helped to build a two-game losing streak. Those losses came at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.
So the big looming question for Karnisovas and the Bulls as the deadline approaches is what level of roster construction changes could be on the way before March 25?
Bulls rumors running rampant for Andre Drummond
According to a report from Chris Fedor of cleveland.com this weekend, the Bulls are one of multiple NBA teams that would be potentially interested in the Cleveland Cavaliers big man Andre Drummond if he’s bought out in the coming weeks. If there’s no trade that the Bulls divisional foe Cleveland can find for Drummond at the deadline, then a buyout is very possible.
Drummond sits in the midst of the final year of his current contract, and it’s also not out of the question that he lands with a borderline playoff contender in the Eastern Conference like the Bulls or the New York Knicks. The Bulls and Knicks were mentioned in this cleveland.com report amid teams that could be in content to land Drummond if he’s bought out.
Other teams mentioned in that piece that could be after Drummond in the buyout market includes the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat.
This rumor that connects the Bulls to Drummond and the Cavs is nothing new, though. This particular discussion is one that was known for a few weeks now.
The Bulls are one of those teams in the East that really needs help in the frontcourt rotation. At the moment, Donovan is using an inconsistent rotation in the frontcourt that mostly involves veteran forward Thaddeus Young, fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, and third-year center Wendell Carter Jr.
Drummond would help the Bulls woes on the glass and in contending physically in the paint on the defensive end of the floor. And since the Cavs have mostly rested Drummond in the last few weeks as the deadline approaches, he would likely come into the mix fresh and ready to go.
The two-time All-Star selection and four-time rebounding champ Drummond is having a bit of a down years in terms of his counting stats. But he’s still averaged around 18 points per game and 14 rebounds through slightly more than two dozen games played for the Cavs thus far.
The Bulls currently hold a record of 18-22 following their tough 131-127 overtime loss on the road against the Nuggets on March 19. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting with the divisional foe Detroit Pistons on the road on March 21.