Crafting a Lakers-Bulls trade for DeMar DeRozan

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly ready to move on from small forward DeMar DeRozan and younger. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to add one more star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There could be a way that the Bulls and the Lakers could both get what they want with a trade with DeRozan as the centerpiece.

The Bulls are looking to get younger, healthier key players moving forward in their chance to contend in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers are trying to win one more championship title with LeBron as he reaches the twilight of his career. A trade between Chicago and Los Angeles is possible, but the key is to accomplish this in a way that both sides are happy. For this to work, it would have to be a sign-and-trade with the Lakers willing to take on the extra value or years of a new contract for DeRozan.

 Crafting a Lakers-Bulls trade for DeMar DeRozan

Chicago Bulls get:

What the Bulls get in the trade

For the Chicago Bulls, they would be able to focus on the future of their team rather than accept the failure of their current roster. DeRozan is a player that looks to win now at his age. The Bulls are not going to be the big threats to the Boston  Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. By trading for two second picks and Jalen Hood-Schifino, who the Lakers took in the first round last year, they would be able to stock up on young players with potential. The future is the goal for the Bulls, which is why they traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey.

It also helps that Rui Hachimuara is 26 years old and Jarred Vanderbilt is 25 years old. Both players play well in the paint but also possess enough solid versatility to stretch the court. These players can make the Bulls a dangerous team at both ends. If the Bulls can return guards Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine to their prime and have center Nikola Vucevic playing back to an All-NBA level, the Bulls can be a dangerous team.

What the Lakers get in the trade

The biggest factor in terms of the big picture this trade creates is that the Lakers add a third star in their quest for a championship title. DeRozan and James don’t have much time left to make the most of their careers. DeRozan is set to be 35 years old in early August and has never won an NBA Championship title. James is looking to cement his legacy as the greatest of all time but encounters constant roadblocks.

DeRozan has been averaging at least 20 points per game in each of the last 11 seasons. He is a solid scorer in the paint, incredible in the mid-range and can get to the free-throw line. He's not the cleanest fit next to LeBron and Davis because of his shaky outside shooting but he's a solid complementary creator who could help lift their offense in other ways.

On a personal level, DeRozan would return home to Southern California being from Compton and playing for USC. Playing for the Lakers would be a significant homecoming for DeRozan as he plays for his next, and possibly last, chance for a championship.