Wizards trade more freely for Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan?

The Washington Wizards have been a mess these past few weeks. After starting the NBA season 10-7, they lost 14 of their next 17 games. A 10-game losing streak was cut short on Tuesday with their victory over the Phoenix Suns as they now rank 12th in the Eastern Conference.

They’re in a tough spot as they just paid Bradley Beal a supermax in the off-season, locking them into their current core for the foreseeable future. While it may not lead to too much change, no one would blame the Wizards for going all in to make the most of the Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma trio they currently have.

“It was great because me, Brad and KP don’t get in each other’s way,” Kuzma told The Athletic’s. Shines Charania. “We all just pour out. It was a pretty good jell for the first 20 games. We all play an average of 20 games per game without any friction.”

Despite having three players who can score 20 points on any given night, Washington still feel they need a little more to really make some noise. Given the team’s record, that would be hard to disprove, so why not call the Chicago Bulls?

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls & Washington Wizards Updates

The Bulls are ahead of the Wizards in the standings, but could be on the opposite end of the spectrum. Rumors are circulating that the tension between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan on the court is increasing as the losses mount. Washington is looking forward to a possible redecoration and should call to see if they can pry DeRozan out of the Windy City.

As shared by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, a proposal from Will Barton, Rui Hachimura, Johnny Davis and a future first-round pick protected in the top five could pique the interest of the Bulls. They get some nice young pieces in Hachimura and Davis, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, to replenish the cabinet after some recent trades. Barton is a solid veteran, but can be flipped in another deal for more assets.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls & Washington Wizards Updates

As for Washington, they’d have quite the quartet of opponents to deal with adding DeRozan to their established Big 3. There would be some question marks defensively, but adding the versatile Deni Avdija to the mix would clear up some of take away those worries. That core would certainly be enough to challenge for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and overcome the brutal stretch they’ve been on recently.