NBA Rumors: Teams keeping tabs on Chicago Bulls amid alleged rising tension following rough start to season
The Chicago Bulls have not made a good start to the season and continue to struggle after the first nine games. They have won only three games so far and will look to get back on track Sunday, when they host the Detroit Pistons, who have won only twice this season and have lost seven in a row (2-8).
Due to their early struggles, there is a growing sense of frustration within the Bulls organization, as Chicago can't afford another losing season. With that in mind, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst addressed the Bulls' current situation and said that rival teams are monitoring how things will play out in Chicago.
"The scouts are jamming themselves into Bulls games, because they realize that at some point, the Bulls may break this team up," Windhorst said, via Basketball on X.
Based on the current situation, the teams' interest is on the possibility of a Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan trade.
LaVine is in the second year of a five-year, $215.1 supermax deal he signed in 2022, while DeRozan is on an expiring contract. The third superstar of this Bulls team, Nikola Vucevic, signed a three-year deal last summer, worth $60 million.
DeMar DeRozan doesn't want to see the Chicago Bulls rebuild
DeMar DeRozan joined the Chicago Bulls in 2021 and could hit free agency next summer if he doesn't reach an agreement with the franchise. Talks between the two sides remain ongoing, but there is no deal in place yet.
In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda in late September, DeRozan addressed Chicago fans' desire to break this team up should it fail to have a deep playoff run this year.
The All-Star forward doesn't want to see the Bulls go into a rebuild, as he doesn't consider it the right path for the franchise to succeed moving forward.
"I think a lot of people who say that or suggest that really don’t understand basketball at all, in my opinion. You can think that’s an answer or that’s a route. But there’s no telling how long that route is going to even last. That route doesn’t necessarily always work in a timely fashion that you may think it will take," DeRozan said in the interview with Sportskeeda.
"So when I hear people say that, it lets me know and understand that they don’t understand basketball at all."
At the same time, DeMar DeRozan was confident in the Chicago Bulls' ability to have a deep playoff run, despite their rough start.
"I think we can accomplish it all," DeMar DeRozan told Medina.
With that in mind, the Chicago Bulls now want to get back on track and start winning games to build some momentum and climb higher in the East standings.