If you’re looking for more fuel to the Lonzo Ball to the Chicago Bulls hot stove fire, look no further than ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Draft Special on Sunday, Woj dropped the following quote surrounding the ever growing rumors about the Bulls being interested in the free agent to-be:
"I think in a perfect world for both Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls, they end up together."
– via @wojespn. 👀 pic.twitter.com/nbrdKmV0bE
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 25, 2021
The former UCLA Bruin averaged a career high 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists with New Orleans last season. He is also expected to command a new contract in the range of $100 million this offseason. As for how the Bulls could pay for Ball’s services, there is plenty of flexibility in what the front office has to work with, with the ability to clear over $30 million off the books for the 2021-22 season cap.
Outside of what would be considered a huge free agency prize in Lonzo Ball, Wojnarowski also connected a very familiar name to the Bulls during the ESPN special: Derrick Rose.
“Derrick Rose is another name in Chicago. I don’t think he is necessarily at the top of their priority list, but if he doesn’t return to New York, is there a role for Derrick Rose with the Bulls? I just think there are a lot of contingencies all these teams are working through.”
Talk about a blast from the past of the Bulls did make the choice to bring back the former MVP the franchise drafted with the top pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. In seven seasons with Chicago, the 32-year old point guard averaged 19.7 points and 5.5 assists per game. While obviously nowhere near the peak of his game as he was during his first stint in Chicago, Rose is coming off a 2020-21 campaign in which he averaged 14.9 points and 4.2 assists on 48.7% shooting with the New York Knicks — very respectable numbers that could bring significant depth to the roster.
Would you mind seeing Lonzo Ball in a Bulls uniform or a reunion with Chicago’s own Derrick Rose? It’s only a matter of time until we see if either scenario happens.
Join the Bulls conversation 24/7 on the ChiCitySports forums as the NBA Draft and free agency are right around the corner!
For More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
