Grade the Trade: Mavericks land former MVP in a wild three-team mock blockbuster

Grading the trade for the Chicago Bulls

After this trade, the pictured duo above of DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine is over. Although it would hurt losing DeRozan, at least Chicago gets something for him rather than him walking next year in free agency for nothing.

It seems like Chicago would wait to trade DeRozan at the trade deadline (if they even want to trade him in the first place), but they could get more for him if they trade him now.

In return for DeRozan, they land a reliable shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr. The Bulls need another shooter badly, and Hardaway Jr. would help fill that void. They made the least three-pointers per game in the NBA last season, and Hardaway Jr. would step in and be the best shooter on the team.

Along with Hardaway Jr., Chicago lands future draft capital in the 2027 first-round pick from Dallas and frontcourt depth in Christian Wood. That 2027 first-rounder from Dallas is a great pickup, as it could end up being in a great spot (Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving could be gone by then).

They also land a player they've reportedly been targeting in Wood. They need another big body that can score, but his fit next to Nikola Vucevic would be questionable. Their starting lineup after the trade is questionable, but it could look something like this.

Potential starting lineup: Coby White, Zach Lavine, Patrick Williams, Christian Wood, Nikola Vucevic

The Bulls get a B for this trade as they land two players that would play heavy minutes in Hardaway Jr. and Wood, along with a first-rounder that could end up being extremely valuable. They seem like they could get more for DeRozan, but they still gain two rotation pieces and a great draft pick.