The Chicago Bulls recently lost one of their top scorers.
Chicago has been in flux for a few years but superstar forward DeMar DeRozan has been consistently great since joining the team ahead of the 2021-22 season. DeRozan spent three seasons in Chicago and was named an All-Star twice.
Overall, DeRozan finished his Bulls career averaging 25.5 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 4.7 rebounds per game in 229 games played.
That's a lot of production that the Bulls will have to attempt to make up for. There are some options in free agency who could help, although no one truly will replace DeRozan. One player who could fill a need, though, is one-time All-Star Gordon Hayward.
Hayward still is a free agent and likely could be signed for cheap right now. He had a disappointing 2023-24 season that saw his role fluctuate with the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and spending most of his time on the bench.
When Hayward is healthy, he can score efficiently all across the floor and is a solid defender. Chicago no longer has DeRozan so a little more depth at forward is needed and Hayward could play either small forward or power forward.
Chicago needs to find a way to make up for all of the points it lost in DeRozan and Hayward at least could help.
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