Chicago Bulls: Top 4 is possible in the East with DeMar DeRozan

The big additions for the Chicago Bulls didn’t stop entering the second day of the negotiation window in this cycle of free agency. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have continued to make waves around the NBA landscape this week, especially with this latest sign-and-trade deal.

This time around, the Bulls went out to get star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs for a king’s ransom in return. Karnisovas and the Bulls dished out more draft picks, and one key veteran forward, for the return of DeRozan.

More specifically, the Bulls shipped off a future first-round draft pick, a second-round draft pick, and veteran forward Thaddeus Young for the return of DeRozan. That is a lot for the Bulls to give up, but it surely rounds out the starting five with a bang this offseason.

New doors open after the Chicago Bulls sign DeMar DeRozan

The Bulls got yet another big name in free agency this cycle to join a mix of signings that already includes former Los Angeles Lakers defensive standout point guard Alex Caruso and New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball. As likely the busiest team making headlines in free agency so far this summer, the Bulls are making moves bigger than most fans thought the front office would.

Adding DeRozan was a move that the Bulls looked to ponder since the trade deadline. Similar to how the eventual signing of Lonzo played out, the Bulls were able to get a sign-and-trade deal done this offseason to get DeRozan instead of getting something done at the trade deadline back on March 25.

This now makes it a big three that Karnisovas and the Bulls have landed since the trade deadline that includes DeRozan, star center Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo. The starting five is now likely to be Lonzo at the one, star shooting guard Zach LaVine, forward Patrick Williams at the three or the four, DeRozan occupying whichever spot Williams doesn’t, and Vooch at the five.

That is a starting unit that could put the Bulls firmly in contention status for the postseason in the Eastern Conference heading into next season. It’s hard to believe the Bulls got to this point this fast under the front office regime of Karnisovas and Eversley.

It’s now just a matter of seeing how head coach Billy Donovan can best utilize all of these new pieces in a rapidly building rotation. He should have more than enough resources to definitely snap the four-year-long Bulls postseason drought.

The contract that the Bulls signed with DeRozan wound up being worth around $85 million in total over the course of three years. That will take DeRozan through the end of the 2023-24 season, well into his mid-30s.