Would the Milwaukee Bucks be willing to go “all in”?
Trading for Damian Lillard was undoubtedly the defining move of GM Jon Horst’s career. However, if Bulls star DeMar DeRozan does not sign his contract extension, which he has yet to do, he might be a trade target this season. That would also be a significant “get” for the Bucks.
During their march to the NBA Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks were easily defeated by the Miami Heat.
However, prior to last year’s collapse, the Bucks were able to easily dispatch the DeRozan-led Bulls in the first round. Trading for DeRozan would almost certainly secure our Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff victory.
So in this proposed deal it seems to be more of “Your friend of your enemy is your friend” type deal. The Bulls need to get younger; the Milwaukee Bucks want to win now.
Here is the deal from NBA Expert Tyree Bones, through NBA Central:
The Chicago Bulls Receive: F Mar Jon Beauchamp
DeRozan’s Background
DeRozan, 34, has played over 1,000 games in his NBA career. DeRozan was drafted out of USC by the Toronto Raptors and has previously played for the Spurs and the Bulls. He shot the ball well for Chicago last season, going over 50% from the field. Throughout his career, he has averaged around 47%.
His finest season with the Bulls came in 2021-2022, when he scored over 27 points per game and 5 rebounds per game while playing 36 minutes per game.
Previously, DeRozan averaged over 27 points per game for Toronto in the 2016-2017 season. It almost feels unjust to pair DeRozan with Lillard, Middleton, and Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks could definitely benefit from his scoring and experienced presence.
Why wouldn’t the Bucks do this?
It is an awful lot to give up. Dealing the first round pick at this point just kinda feels like a joke. In no way, shape or form does Milwaukee have any draft capital for like the next ten years!
That 2030 first-round pick gets thrown around quite a bit as something the team could use to acquire a veteran player. It might also be in the team’s best interest to hold onto that.
Beasley is expected to have a surprisingly strong season. The 26 year old will pair well with Lillard.
And Milwaukee continues to work hard to develop Beauchamp. He also has the potential to be a star in the NBA, which would probably be the reason why the Bulls would want him so much.
Some interesting Bulls Facts
The Bulls are 134-129 vs the Bucks all-time.
- The Bulls, as a franchise, have never lost an NBA finals series.
- The Bulls won 72 games during the 1995-1996 season. That record did not stand for long. The Golden State Warriors won 73 games in the 2015-2016 season. All time the Bucks best season winning record was the 66-win season they had in 1970-1971.
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