The Chicago Bulls don’t have too much flexibility moving forward if their plan is to keep the current core together. Arturas Karnisovas has made it clear that’s what he wants, but unfortunately, that could lead to more mediocrity in Chicago. Instead, the Bulls should be looking to make a serious shake-up for the sake of improvement.
In fact, the best plan for the Bulls could be to trade one of their stars. They don’t even necessarily have to enter a rebuild. But without trading one of their All-Stars, they don’t have a real pathway forward, especially considering how few threes Chicago takes in the current NBA. DeMar DeRozan could be the piece to go.
During an appearance on NBC Sports Chicago’s “BullsTalk” podcast, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic stated that trading DeRozan is the only way the Bulls will improve and adapt to the necessary playstyle of today’s league.
“Yes,” said Mayberry when asked if trading DeRozan is the only way to change the outlook of Chicago’s offense. “Because Billy [Donovan]’s not going to take the ball out of his hands, and I don’t think tomorrow is going to change.”
The Bulls took fewer three-point shots per game than any other team in the NBA last season, and they finished in the middle of the pack in terms of percentage, making them one of the worst shooting teams in the league.
In an NBA where the three-point shot is king, that type of offense just won’t cut it. Trading DeRozan may seem extreme, but it could be necessary.