Two of the biggest additions for the Chicago Bulls since the trade deadline back on March 25 included star center Nikola Vucevic and shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan. Between the two of them, DeRozan and Vucevic have six All-Star selections. And there’s a good chance that the two of them could compete for spots on an All-Star Team next season.
The process to get DeRozan to the Bulls apparently is something that Vucevic played a role in. DeRozan joined “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” this week to talk about his process of landing in Chicago, among other topics.
But the way he was able to land with the Bulls was one of the most interesting topics that DeRozan talked on. He mentioned that Vooch essentially started recruiting him to join the Bulls as soon as the two-time All-Star center was traded to Chicago from the Orlando Magic back on deadline day last season.
The excitement started to build for what the Bulls could do when Vooch landed in Chicago at the deadline. It only started building further when the Bulls were able to add a key piece like point guard Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason.
Chicago Bulls have a nice new core in place after the additions of Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan this year
But it looked like the interest that the Bulls had in DeRozan and Ball went back to the trade deadline back on March 25.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley did have to give up a lot to get both Vooch and DeRozan to Chicago. The Bulls dealt out two first-round draft picks, third-year center Wendell Carter Jr., and veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. to get Vooch at the deadline last season.
And the Bulls had to deal out a first-round draft pick, second-round pick, veteran forwards Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu, to get DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal this offseason.
The goal here was to put a better supporting cast around star shooting guard Zach LaVine to likely get him to commit to the Bulls long-term, and to finally get this team over the postseason hump. It looks like the front office got tired of trying to build through failed draft picks, and jump start this rebuild heading into next season.
By no considerations will the Bulls still be in rebuild mode under head coach Billy Donovan next season. This Bulls’ roster looks to be more than capable of making a run to snap the four-year-long postseason drought in 2022.
If the Bulls do make the postseason next year, it would be the first time for this franchise since 2017. And it would be the first time in LaVine’s career that he got over the postseason hump, which would clearly be a significant marker for him.