Tension for Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine

Just under a year ago, the Chicago Bulls looked like the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. They were in first place and rolling because all of their acquisitions paid dividends. For years they tried to build around NBA star Zach LaVine, and they finally succeeded.

Nikola Vucevic was the first puzzle piece ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. During the 2021 off-season, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball were acquired in sign-and-trade deals. Alex Caruso was brought in for free to further strengthen the backcourt, and the team had excellent prospects in Coby White and Patrick Williams.

Things were certainly looking good in the Windy City as it had been a few years since the franchise had any success. Fast forward to today, and the Bulls are now on the other end of the spectrum, facing the tough decision of whether or not to blow it.

The Bulls are currently 11-18 and are quickly dropping in the standings. Chicago can still sneak into the NBA Play-In tournament as two franchises actively try not to win, but their future looks bleak.

Ball’s status to get on the field this season is still up in the air as he has pain in his knee. Vucevic appears destined to leave whether by trade or free agency as no renewal talks have been held. According to him, the working relationship between DeRozan and LaVine has led to rising tensions Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

“The Bulls have held multiple team meetings to try to resolve their issues, including one-on-one, face-to-face sitdowns between DeRozan and LaVine, multiple sources of direct knowledge who were anonymized because they are not authorized to speak in the to speak publicly. told The Athletic about the matter. DeRozan and LaVine have always had a strong mutual respect.

“Just 10 months ago, during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, the stars proclaimed themselves the best duo in the NBA. They maintain a good personal relationship. But their encounters have so far failed to produce any in-game results, with a level of stylistic tension on the pitch simply festering throughout the season and magnified due to the win-loss record.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan & Chicago Bulls Updates

That certainly sounds like a team about to accept the harsh reality that another rebuild is needed. Chicago will probably wait as long as possible before they pull the trigger, but to maximize the value of their assets, something probably needs to be done before the deadline.

Sometimes pairings just don’t pan out on the field as the team hoped, despite the players getting along well. There’s no animosity between DeRozan and LaVine, their skills just don’t match well on the field, and all the losses exacerbate the problem.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan & Chicago Bulls Updates

You can’t blame the Bulls’ front office for making some big moves, but it just didn’t work out. For the long-term betterment of the franchise, it would be prudent to close some deals now rather than delaying the inevitable breakup of the current core.