According to Zach Lowe from ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls could be working towards a deal to send DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic to Los Angeles. Bill Simmons suggested a similar trade idea earlier this week. Typically, when there’s smoke, there’s fire. It seems like the Bulls’ poor start to the season could trigger Arturas Karnisovas to blow the whole team up and start rebuilding with the Lakers’ draft picks.

According to @ZachLowe_NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers have had internal discussions about a potential trade for Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan and center Nikola Vucevic.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) December 2, 2022

Should The Bulls Consider Rebuilding

Historically speaking, it never works out well for the desperate team looking to become relevant. The Lakers are in a similar situation to the Brooklyn Nets years ago when they traded away future draft picks for aging stars like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Bulls could walk away with a potential goldmine by taking two of the Lakers’ future unprotected first-round picks of 2027 and 2029. By then, the Lakers shouldn’t be relevant as LeBron James would have retired by then. With little to no draft picks on the horizon, the Lakers will remain irrelevant in the following years allowing the draft picks given to the Bulls to become more valuable every year.

Potential Trade Between Bulls And Lakers

Sending DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic would require the Bulls to take back Russell Westbrook’s contract. As long as unprotected draft picks are involved, the Bulls would agree to that in a heartbeat. In 2027, Arturas Karnisovas should still be running the Bulls, but in 2027 there’s a strong chance LeBron James would have retired.

Bulls Trade: DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic

Lakers Trade: Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverly, Unprotected 2027 & 2029 Lakers First-Round Picks

It’s never easy committing to tanking. However, this scenario allows the Bulls to keep their pick for 2023 and be in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.