The Chicago Bulls have finally addressed their problem at center with the signing of Andre Drummond. The deal was announced by Shams Charania but contract details are yet to be revealed. Drummond last played for the Brooklyn Nets and will now be backing up Nikola Vucevic in Chicago as a true defensive center. Drummond has signed for a 2-year, $6.6 million.
Vucevic struggled to be the defensive anchor of the Bulls last season but there is still a lot of value in his offensive skill-set alongside DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Vuc is also an above-average playmaker at his size and has good offensive awareness. The Bulls have added a perfectly complementary backup for him in Drummond who does everything Vuc struggles at really well.
This is Drummond’s 6th team in the last 3 seasons. Drummond went from being an All-Star center with Detroit to being traded for a second-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After leaving the Cavs, Drummond joined the Lakers midway through the 2020-21 season. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the end of the season, and Philly traded him to Brooklyn in the James Harden trade. Hopefully, he can find a more permanent home in Chicago.
Free agent center Andre Drummond is finalizing a deal with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022
The Bulls are wrestling with their franchise player Zach LaVine possibly leaving this free agency. While LaVine looked around the market for the right opportunity, many people have suggested that it doesn’t exist and that LaVine’s best option is to continue building with the player Chicago brought in around him.
Drummond gives the Bulls more insurance at the center position and they won’t have to rely heavily on a player like Tony Bradley. The Bulls have been linked with players like Rudy Gobert for this position. Drummond isn’t of that same caliber but provides everything that the Bulls lacked in their center rotation last season. The East is a bloodbath with great big men, so Drummond is a valuable addition.
