The Chicago Bulls only made a couple of small additions this summer, bringing in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic are all back in town and ready to push forward after two years of underperforming. In two years together, they’ve only one a single playoff game.
While the Bulls’ core is still in place, rumors have indicated that they may have looked to add to it. Marc J. Spears of ESPN reported that the Bulls are one of a bunch of teams to have checked in on a Damian Lillard trade since he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, according to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Bulls would be one of the “worst landing spots” for Lillard.
“Assuming the Bulls would need to part with at least one of Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan (who would likely be rerouted to a third team), this would leave a core of Lillard, LaVine/DeRozan and Nikola Vučević to build around.
“There would be significant defensive questions surrounding this group, with a ceiling that’s not going to get any higher over time. Lillard would again be stuck on a low-end playoff team with no hope of winning a championship.
“The Bulls still need a point guard, but they don’t have the assets to acquire Lillard and have enough left over to field a true contender,” Swartz wrote.
Adding Lillard’s to the Bulls’ current core would create an elite group, but there would certainly be some questions. But if Chicago could pull off the move while keeping their Big 3, they need to at least consider it.
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