If DeMar DeRozan Joins Lonzo Ball And All-Stars Zach LaVine And Nikola Vucevic On The Chicago Bulls, The Pacers Will Have A Much Tougher Chance To Make The Playoffs
Update: According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls are finalizing the deal to send DeMar DeRozan to the Bulls (see Tweets below).
The Chicago Bulls could sign DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs, Marc Stein reports.
The Tweet from Stein can be seen in a post that is embedded below (more on his free agency insight can be read here).
The Chicago Bulls finished last season at 31-41 as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Indiana Pacers were 34-38 only three games in front of them.
While the Pacers dealt with injuries and did not have a full roster, the Bulls also had a new head coach (Billy Donovan), below average point guard play and they did not acquire All-Star Nikola Vucevic until mid-season.
Now, they have more time on the floor with their new coach, a full season of Vucevic and according to Shams Charania of the Athletic (Tweet below), Lonzo Ball to run point guard.
Even without DeRozan, the Bulls have a chance to be better than the Pacers next season, but with the four-time All-Star they would wholeheartedly jump over them in the standings.
The Bulls becoming a much better team is bad news for the Pacers, because a lot of the Eastern Conference playoff teams from last year will likely all be improved.
Meanwhile, the Bulls and Pacers did not even make the playoffs last season, so they will both be competing to insert themselves into the picture this season.
The Pacers are also the ones with the new head coach (Rick Carlisle) who will have to gain chemistry with the players and implement his system.
DeRozan, or not, the Bulls will be a playoff contender next season.
Last season, the Bulls won the head to head series 2-1 over the Pacers.
