Grade for Demar DeRozan trade: The Chicago Bulls blew it big time
We know the Bulls turned down draft capital for Caruso as well as Drummond and certainly left a lot on the table by not trading DeRozan sooner.
I’ve seen some pundits praising the Bulls for “at least getting something” in return for DeRozan, who could have just left as a free agent.
But the Bulls were the ones who put themselves in this position by not trading DeRozan sooner, a baffling mistake that looks even more indefensible after trading Caruso and letting Drummond walk.
Did the Bulls really fancy themselves as contenders last season? If so, everyone involved should get their heads checked.
If not, and you knew this offseason was going to start a rebuild anyway, then why in the name of all that is good in this world did you wait until you had zero leverage to trade Caruso and DeRozan?
The return at the deadline would have been much larger and the Bulls could be armed with a multitude of draft picks to go along with the same team they have now anyway.
It was a “I’m going to mortgage my house to invest in meme coins” level of stupid asset management, so when you look at the whole picture, there is only one grade to give.
Grade: F
But if we are looking at the trade in context, does it look any better for Chicago?