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The Chicago Bulls are officially rebuilding. After failing to win with their big three of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls continued their rebuild by sending DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade on Saturday night. It was an admission of failure by the front office and the latest move to reshape the team after the Alex Caruso trade a few weeks ago.
With DeRozan and Caruso already having been traded, it looks like more moves could be on the way soon for Chicago as they shift gears and rebuild their roster. In the aftermath of their DeRozan deal, rumors quickly began circulating that suggested that the team was looking to move on from both LaVine and Vucevic now, which would result in a full-scale fire sale for the the Bulls.
“That doesn’t mean his work is done. The Bulls continue to shop Zach LaVine aggressively and have been looking for a new home for Nikola Vucevic.” – Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun Times
Bulls looking to blow things up after DeMar DeRozan deal
While DeRozan initially wanted to return to the Bulls, they signaled that they were intending on rebuilding when they traded Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey. That led to DeRozan seeking a new home in a free agency, and now that he's gone, LaVine and Vucevic could follow him out the exit door.
Chicago has been trying to trade LaVine for a while, but it has been a difficult process. LaVine's recent injury history and mammoth contract (owed nearly $140 million over the next three years) have sapped his value on the trade market, but he's still a good player when healthy and could help the right team. Vucevic isn't the player he once was but is still productive at 33 years old.
Just because these three guys couldn't make it work during their time together doesn't mean they don't have value. DeRozan had a career renaissance during his time in Chicago, LaVine proved he could hold his own alongside star teammates, and Vucevic put up consistent double-doubles, even as his role wavered at times alongside these two stars.
The fact that DeRozan got moved shows that the Bulls mean business when it comes to this potential fire sale, and teams across the league will surely take note of two former All-Stars potentially hitting the trade block. Where there's smoke, there's often fire, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see this situation heat up over the next few days.
For now, the Bulls are going to be regrouping after they have officially moved DeRozan, but it looks like their efforts to move LaVine and Vucevic are already well underway. It will be interesting to see what ends up transpiring as a result of this situation, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see LaVine and Vucevic end up being on the move in the near future as well.
