The Chicago Bulls entered the 2023-24 season in NBA purgatory after really standing pat this offseason. There were rumors whirling around the Windy City that the Bulls could start a rebuild by allowing Nikola Vucevic to leave via free agency and trading star Zach LaVine. However, neither occurred leaving the Bulls with even more questions going forward as they are off to a slow 2-4 start.
Chicago Bulls Rumors: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams & Point Guard
Chicago entered tonight’s contest against the Denver Nuggets (5-1) on a two-game losing streak. The Bulls are coming off a 109-107 home setback to the Brooklyn Nets as the Bulls were outscored by nine points combined in the first and fourth quarters. Slow starts and bad finishes have plagued the Bulls all season long.
Chicago has trailed after the opening 12 minutes in each of their last four games. The Bulls also rank in the bottom half of the half of the league in scoring in the opening quarter (27.0 points) and scoring defense (28.0). However, the fourth quarter has been worse for the Bulls as they rank 20th in fourth quarter scoring and 26th in scoring margin.
Despite having three quality offensive players, although each has their own defencies on that end, the Bulls have had difficulties on that end. Their biggest problem last year was 3-point shooting and the inability to get to the free throw line consistently. Those two remain an issue for the Bulls, although they have not shot the ball well this year overall, ranking 27th in field goal percentage and 26th in scoring.
However, it has been Chicago’s defense that has been the most disappointing. After ranking fifth a season ago, the Bulls’ defense currently sits 20th in defensive efficiency. While the difference between this year and last season is only 1.3 points, the Bulls’ overall defense has taken a significant step back. The Bulls’ defense ranks 19th in field goal percentage against, and they have struggled guarding the 3-point line as well as on the defensive boards.
Should the Bulls Trade Zach LaVine
LaVine’s name remains at the forefront of trade rumors, with the Philadelphia 76ers being the latest team rumored to be interested in the 28-year-old guard. But, the Bulls continue to insist that they have “no interest” at this time in trading the two-time all-star, according to Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
LaVine is in the second season of a five-year max deal. LaVine put a career-high 51 points against the Detroit Pistons on October 28 and has tallied 120 points over his last four contests. However, he only averages 1.8 assists and has struggled mightily shooting the ball. LaVine has never been good defensively.
LaVine will improve his shooting stats as the season progresses. His assists will also likely go up. But that doesn’t mean the Bulls will be playoff contenders. So, should Chicago trade LaVine?
I’m not sure that there is a point. The biggest question is, what is the market for him? Philadelphia received two future first-rounders and a bunch of veterans. KJ Martin is an intriguing prospect for the 76ers, but he is not a corner piece.
Getting rid of LaVine’s contract would be a plus. Although Chicago reportedly wants to keep DeMar DeRozan, whose contract expires at the end of the season, while Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu signed extensions this summer. Granted, Lonzo Ball could return next year, but nobody knows what he will bring after missing two seasons due to injury.
What To Do With DeMar DeRozan
Chicago and DeRozan couldn’t come to an extension before the start of the year. Therefore, the 34-year-old forward will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 unless he can come to an extension with the team following the completion of the season.
Prior to allowing the extension deadline to pass, Shams Charania of the Athletic, on Fan Duel’s Run It Back, said that the Bulls wanted to work out an extension with DeRozan. But the sides were far apart.
“They’ve been talking about an extension, but I’m told that the sides are apart right now on multiple fronts — years, salary,” Charania said. “And also, DeMar DeRozan wants to see where this Bulls team goes. They had a players meeting after game one of the season, and so that’s not the way to start the year.”
https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV/status/1717574894647722207
For his part, DeRozan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he is not concerned about not receiving an extension. He also said it is unlikely that he would try to force a trade.
“I honestly don’t think about it at all. I never have. It doesn’t worry me or stress me out. Again, I control what I can control. And in due time, let it speak for itself.”
“I feel like I wouldn’t be able to lay down comfortably if I went somewhere and said, ‘(Expletive) trade me. I’m tired of this.’ That’s just not me,” he said. “I’m going to compete, be the best version I can be, and let it go from there.”
DeRozan is off to a little tough start shooting the ball. But the 6-6 wing has tallied 20 points in five of his first six contests this year. He hasn’t rebounded the ball as well as expected, but he is still passing the ball well while not turning over the ball.
DeRozan is also still finishing well at the rim and is at his best when he is slashing or within 10 feet of the rim. However, he still does not shoot it well from the 3-point. He is also an inconsistent defender.
Chicago has a tough decision to make. The Bulls are 82-74 with DeRozan in the lineup over his two-plus seasons with the team. But he will be 35 next year and likely wants $20 million a year. So, it is probably best that the sides are taking a wait-and-see approach. The big question is, could the Bulls trade him?
What is Patrick Williams’ Future With the Bulls?
Patrick Williams appears to be at a crossroads with the Bulls. After declining to offer the 2020 No. 4 overall pick a rookie scale extension, Williams lost his starting spot to Torrey Craig on Friday.
Williams has been very inconsistent throughout his tenure and has gotten off to a shaky start. Before being replaced in the starting five against Brooklyn, Williams was averaging fewer than 22 minutes through the first four games. He was routinely being replaced in lineups to close halves and games while looking out of place alongside the Bulls’ stars, according to The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry.
“Nah. None at all,” Williams told Mayberry when asked if his contract was weighing on his mind.“Knowing it’s a long season and knowing what I can do. I’ve always had confidence in myself, what I can do, what I bring to the game. Knowing it’s going to be stretches like this and times like this. It’s all about how you bounce back from it. It’s not a matter of what you go through but how you do it. I kind of look at it as an opportunity to show what I’m really made of. Everybody can be happy when everything’s going well for them. But when it’s not, when it’s shaky, when you can’t make a shot, when you lose a couple of games in a row, then what are you really made of?“
To his credit, Williams played well in his first game of the season, collecting season-highs in points (10) and rebounds (5).
According to Mayberry, Williams is very much in Chicago’s future plans, and his teammates are on his side.
“He’s fine. He’s going to be all right,” DeRozan said. “We’re all going to have that slump, that couple of games here or there where it just feels like everything is terrible. He’ll be fine. It’s a couple of games in. We are all struggling of some sort, whether it’s making shots not executing for as close as 48 minutes as possible. So it’s still a learning process for us all. We’ve just got to get it through. Once it clicks for us all, we’re going to be rolling in the right way.”
Does the Bulls Need a Point Guard?
Ball being unable to play for a second straight season really put the Bulls in an unenviable position. While the Bulls signed Jevon Carter this offseason, he nor White, Alex Caruso, or Dosunmu are true lead guards. As a result, Chicago’s point guards rank second to last in the league in efficiency. The Bulls are also 29th in assists with less than 20 dimes a game, as their point guard contributing just five a contest.
While it is early in the going, if the Bulls want to make a playoff push, they likely will need a true point guard. White, who is playing nearly 30 minutes a game, has struggled shooting and is averaging 3.7 assists along with 1.7 turnovers a game. Dosunmo has shot the ball well but is only playing 11 minutes a game. Dosunmu missed Saturday’s game due to illness.
Carter and Caruso also haven’t provided a whole lot though both have shot the ball well.
Chicago has an open roster spot. The Bulls, nine million dollars under the league’s first tax apron, also have a $10.2 million disabled player exemption due to Ball’s injury.
