It’s time to break up the Bulls. Actually, it was time a year ago but things are finally in motion. Even Chicago’s front office has come to that realization after a 5-14 start to the season smacked it in the face.
The problem for Chicago is it wants to find a trade for Zach LaVine while other teams are more interested in trading for Alex Caruso or DeMar DeRozan. That’s what league sources have told NBC Sports and we have written, and it’s what is going on with the Lakers specifically, reports Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“I’ve actually heard that they’re more interested in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. A.C., he’s the one that got away. Lakers fans, it still bothers them. Inside of the organization, it’s still a very divisive topic. And then DeMar is someone the Lakers have courted for several years now. Both of those guys are on more manageable contracts.”
That sums up how many teams around the league feel — Caruso and DeRozan are better fits and their contracts aren’t as heavy as DeRozan’s.
That’s a problem for the Bulls, who want to trade LaVine first, reports K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Only Zach LaVine and Coby White remain from the roster [Bulls’ executive vice president Artūras] Karnišovas inherited, and trading LaVine is the main organizational focal point for now. In fact, league sources said that, at least for now, Karnišovas is responding to inquiries on other players by saying he wants to see what the roster looks like post-LaVine trade first.
That sounds good, but finding a team to take on LaVine is the challenge. While LaVine is an All-Star, an Olympian, and an elite isolation scorer, he’s not a great defender and does not have the reputation of a player who does the little things to help a team win. Then there’s the contract: Teams would be on the hook for the remainder of the $40 million he is owed this season then three more years after this at $138 million total (the last season is a player option).
Meanwhile, DeRozan is a bucket getter from the midrange on an expiring deal, while Caruso is one of the best point-of-attack perimeter defenders in the league making $9.5 million this season and $9.9 million next season. It’s easy for other teams to see how those two fit in their system and finances much more simply than LaVine.
Will the market come around and a team like the Pacers or Grizzlies make a move for LaVine, or will Karnišovas have to adjust his plans and move one of his other players — maybe even Nikola Vucevic — first?
There’s a lot to watch in Chicago as we move closer and closer to the real trade season in the NBA.
