3 big trades for the Chicago Bulls to jumpstart a rebuild

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February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Team LeBron forward LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (6) celebrates with Team LeBron guard/forward DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls (11) after making the game-winning basket during the fourth quarter in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Trade DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic to the Lakers

This one is going to sting and for the Bulls, and for a number of reasons. They’re trading two of their most productive players and returning a package weighted down by Russell Westbrook and whose real payoff (a 2027 first-round pick) doesn’t come for four years. However, it clears the decks in one fell swoop (h/t Nate Bargatze) and allows them to move two of their biggest contracts in a single, relatively simple trade.

For the Bulls they’re ensuring more than $40 million in cap space, getting a very valuable future first-round a pair of seconds for this upcoming draft (their own and L.A’s). It’s not an exceptional haul but the market for DeRozan and Vucevic isn’t going to be that robust given their age and contracts. In addition, they get the PR win of appearing to do right by both players, sending them to a situation where they (in theory) could compete for a title.

In the end, these three trades together would be a hard reset for the Bulls and really push them in the tank this year. However, it would dramatically increase their chances of landing in the top four in this year’s draft, keeping their own pick instead of sending it to Orlando, and maybe giving them a shot at a game-changing talent in a loaded class.

In addition, they pick up an extra first-rounder and two second-rounders for 2023, a pair of first-rounders in 2027 and would roll into next season with a young core of Tyler Herro, James Wiseman, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, Ayo Dosunmu, all age 23-or-younger, to build around. And finally, they’d still have Lonzo Ball who they could explore trading for additional assets if he can ever get back on the court. It wouldn’t be the best situation in the NBA, but it’s a much brighter future than they have right now.

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