Who the Chicago Bulls should’ve pursued instead of DeMar DeRozan: Bradley Beal
The fit between LaVine and the Washington Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal never looked to be a clean one. But it might be a better one hypothetically than what the Bulls can put together with a starting unit including LaVine, Williams, and DeRozan. LaVine and Williams will have to be steady presences from downtown since DeRozan was never a good three-point shooter.
The defense could also suffer with DeRozan likely either playing at the three or the four.
It would be interesting to compare the potential fit that the Bulls would get by having a star trio of Beal, LaVine, and Vooch, instead of DeRozan joining the mix. While we might never know how that would work out, we will get to see how creative Karnisovas, Eversley, and Donovan can get with this new personnel in Chicago.
Beal looks to be someone that the Wizards would be willing to make available for the right return. The Wizards don’t have much to build around right now beyond Beal, so it could be a good move for that front office to blow up what key veteran pieces are left.
The three-time All-Star and reigning scoring champ Beal would add a different dynamic and level of explosiveness to the Bulls offense that would be really difficult for any opponent to contain. And while neither LaVine nor Beal is a great defender, that combination at the two and the three could be easier to mask around other solid defenders than DeRozan and LaVine.
I would personally have favored the Bulls to go out and get a star that will have a bit more longevity in Beal, that is also a former Donovan disciple, than someone like DeRozan who could be a rocky fit in this system and limits floor spacing. But we’ll just have to wait and see how this works out in the end.