NBA News: Chicago Bulls Become a Sneaky Threat After DeMar DeRozan Addition

DeMar DeRozan made a name for himself during his time with the Toronto Raptors. As the 2009 ninth overall pick spent the first nine years of his career in Toronto, DeRozan established himself as a Raptors legend.

As Toronto failed to make a run for the championship in 2018, the Raptors' front office made the tough decision to shake things up. During the summer of 2018, the Raptors made a blockbuster trade to land Kawhi Leonard. In order to get him, they had to package DeRozan and send him to the San Antonio Spurs.

For the last three seasons, DeRozan has been a bright spot for the Spurs. In each year since joining them, he's averaged over 20 points per game. Following the 2020-2021 season, though, it's become clear the 31-year-old star wants a fresh start.

DeRozan was linked to the Philadelphia 76ers quite a few times this offseason. As the Spurs reportedly showed a bit of interest in Ben Simmons, some speculated DeRozan could be moved to Philly in a package that lands the Spurs the three-time All-Star.

But at this point, DeRozan is Chicago bound. As the Bulls are ready to take the next step and start becoming playoff competitive, they loaded up on talent this offseason. Their first big move came at the start of free agency when they landed point guard Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The following day, the Bulls stacked up with another star by landing DeRozan from the Spurs. Now, Chicago has its own version of a big three with the veteran DeRozan and the two young budding stars in Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball.

Whether the revamped Bulls can stack up with the best of them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs or not remains to be seen. But regardless of what happens next season, the Bulls have had themselves a stellar offseason so far on paper and could be a sneaky threat to the Sixers and the rest of the conference.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.