The Chicago Bulls are a team that a lot of people in the basketball world are watching ahead of the NBA trade deadline. They have playoff aspirations, but when they aren’t healthy, they are a fringe Play-In team in the Eastern Conference.
This season the Bulls are 23-27, on the outside looking in regarding the final spot in the Play-In Tournament field. There are certain franchises around the NBA hoping that the Bulls take a tumble down the standings in the next week or so and opt to blow up the roster.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are two players that teams would love to add to upgrade their rosters for the stretch run of the season. If they opt to stay the course, both players will stay put but Chicago could still shake up the end of their roster.
According to Marc Stein on his Substack, center Andre Drummond sounds like he will be on the move. He signed a one-year deal with the Bulls in free agency last offseason but has seen his role scaled back a ton in recent weeks.
“Do not be surprised, league sources say, if the Bulls move former All-Star center Andre Drummond before the Feb. 9 trade. Drummond has been allotted fewer than 15 minutes in each of Chicago’s past 12 games.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Andre Drummond & Chicago Bulls Updates
Drummond is averaging 6.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in only 12.8 minutes per game this season, appearing in 37 contests. His role has shrunk in 2023, as he hasn’t played a single second in six games and double-digit minutes only twice.
If the Bulls are unable to find a new home for Drummond via trade, it would not be outside the realm of possibility that they just buy him out and allow him to find a new team to play with. His liability as a defender and limited impact outside of the key has made him a poor fit for the modern NBA, which has become perimeter-oriented.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Andre Drummond & Chicago Bulls Updates
Alas, you could do worse than Drummond as your emergency center. He can still control the glass as an elite rebounder and is an efficient scorer around the rim and in the paint. Chicago would likely swap him for another player on a minimum deal or future draft pick with protections.
