The decision-makers in Chicago had a change of heart.
Andre Drummond of the Chicago Bulls is in the last year of a two-year contract that he signed in 2022, thus it would have been wise for the franchise to let him go. The Bulls had an agreement in place that would have sent the big man to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for multiple lottery picks, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Bulls, however, pulled out of the agreement at the last minute.
The Sixers, who needed a centre to replace Joel Embiid, who is still out indefinitely following surgery to repair a rupture in his left knee’s lateral meniscus, saw the prospective trade as a perfect fit.
In addition, trading Drummond would have prevented the Bulls from being left holding the bag should the backup big man decide to sign with another team this offseason. But the Chicago-Philadelphia trade never happened because it seems like the Bulls’ decision-makers had second thoughts.
According to Scotto, “the 76ers thought they had a deal completed to acquire Bulls centre Andre Drummond before Chicago withdrew from negotiations hours before the deadline.”
League sources stated that the Bulls desired three second-round picks in exchange for Drummond. In the three-team Royce O’Neale trade, the Nets received three second-round picks.
According to Scotto, Chicago received bids from the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics as well, but neither team’s agreements materialised. This raises the query: What will happen to Drummond and the Bulls next? Do the Bulls think they will be able to sign Drummond again in the offseason?
Though Drummond’s Chicago future is uncertain, his ability to have an impact on a game is not. With starting centre Nikola Vucevic, the previous rebounding champion is averaging 8.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, but he has been playing more recently.
