On August 3, 2021, the Chicago Bulls acquired DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a future first-round pick and two future second-rounders.
DeRozan averaged 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists over his three seasons with the Bulls. He made two All-Star teams and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2021-22. He helped lead Chicago to a brief stint at the top of the Eastern Conference in 2021.
He also kept the Bulls from leaning into a much-needed organizational rebuild. He was good enough to keep the team around .500 and in the mix for a postseason spot but not good enough to lead it on a legitimate playoff run.
Chicago still owes the Spurs that first-round pick, and a peek at the standings as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches isn’t a pretty picture for the Bulls.
Bulls should be preparing for another offseason of disappointment
Chicago was somewhat limited in terms of draft capital after the ill-fated Nikola Vucevic trade it had made a few months before the DeRozan deal.
As ESPN‘s Tim McMahon pointed out at the time of the trade, “the first time the Bulls can trade a first-round pick is either 2025 or 2026, depending on whether Chicago sends its 2023 pick (top-four protected) or 2024 pick (top 3 protected) to the Orlando Magic to complete that prior deal.”
The Spurs ended up receiving a first-round pick that was protected 1-10 in 2025 and 1-8 in 2026 and 2027.
Based on the NBA standings as of Jan. 16, the odds that the Bulls keep the pick this summer aren’t great.
To guarantee the selection lands within the top 10, Chicago needs to finish with one of the sixth-worst records in the league. Here’s how the standings look at the bottom of the NBA three weeks before the trade deadline, in order from worst to best (a relative term):
- Washington Wizards: 6-32
- New Orleans Pelicans: 10-32
- Charlotte Hornets: 9-28
- Toronto Raptors: 10-31
- Utah Jazz: 10-29
- Portland Trail Blazers: 13-26
- Brooklyn Nets: 14-27
- Philadelphia 76ers: 15-24
- Chicago Bulls: 18-23
With Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic still in the fold, the Bulls are once again too bad to win but too good to lose. What’s worse is the teams with the seven worst records are either perfectly fine with or actively trying to lose games to earn a higher draft pick.
Chicago is four games “behind” the Trail Blazers for the sixth-worst record, and it doesn’t appear they’ll catch up. Even if the front office comes to its senses and makes some significant trades, the Bulls are already likely out of the running for a guaranteed top-10 pick.
Per Tankathon, Chicago is expected to land the No. 8 selection based on lottery odds and percentages. If you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, that’s good news; if you’re a glass-half-empty person, that’s far too close to No. 11.
Regardless, whether or not the Bulls keep one of the most valuable assets a rebuilding franchise can possess will almost certainly be decided by some bouncing ping-pong balls. And based on the organization’s recent track record, that’s not a great place to be.
