After one of the best individual three-year runs in Chicago Bulls history, DeMar DeRozan‘s tenure in Chicago is over.
Signing a three-year, $70+ million deal, DeRozan is moving on to the Sacramento Kings.
This was part of a three-team deal including the Kings and San Antonio Spurs. Here is the breakdown of exchanging assets:
Kings acquire: DeRozan
Spurs get: Harrison Barnes,
Bulls get: Chris Duarte, 2 2nd round picks, cash
Reports are still surfacing with specifics about the contract, but Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports it as three years, $76 million plus bonuses, with the first two years being fully guaranteed at $59 million and the final year being partially guaranteed.
Though the Bulls had some leverage in this situation, their desire to avoid taking on long-term contracts required a third party to get involved. Prior to the trade, the Spurs offloaded Devonte Graham onto the Charlotte Hornets, along with a second round pick, in order to create the space to absorb Barnes.
Meanwhile, the Bulls make out pretty well. Collecting two second round picks will be helpful as they enter their next phase, and Duarte, 27, is a three-and-D type wing who has struggled to get a foothold in the league since a productive rookie season with the Indiana Pacers in 2021-22.
Over a week into the start of free agency, DeRozan had been squeezed out of options due to lack of cap space and enticing team contexts to walk into. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat showed interest, but ultimately, the Kings were able to close on the six-time All-Star.
The writing has been on the wall for the last few weeks. Though the Bulls and DeRozan had all season to come to an extension agreement, things never got close to materializing. Reports following the season suggested the Bulls were prepared to offer $40 million annually.
Bulls EVP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas promised change following the team’s exit in the Play-In Tournament. He has followed through with that so far.
He traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey — the coveted defensive anchor for a 21-year-old distressed asset. They followed that up by selecting an upside play in Matas Buzelis instead of a win-now player like Providence’s Devin Carter, with whom the Bulls were rumored to have been enamored.
Karnisovas struck on deals with Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith, all but sealing DeRozan’s fate. Without first moving Zach LaVine, the Bulls would be over the luxury tax line if they gave DeRozan a deal greater than $13 million — a massive cut from the previously reported numbers.
DeRozan now moves on and the Bulls will now be without their two best player from last season.
[Related Reading: Analyzing Jalen Smith’s fit with the Bulls]
This is the right move for the Bulls. It’s time for a youth movement. They collect some picks and add a support piece to their young core. They need to put the ball in the hands of their young players and do everything in their power to retain the top-10 protected pick they owe the San Antonio Spurs.
As for DeRozan, he will join forces with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento, another up-and-coming team that has its eyes set on a return to the Playoffs. Despite entering his age 35 season, he’s clearly still good enough to be a prominent member of a high-level Playoff-caliber team.
DeRozan’s three seasons in Chicago were among the best in his first ballot Hall of Fame career. He trails only Michael Jordan for highest point per game with the franchise. He had twelve 40+ point games with the Bulls and was twice named an All-Star. He put up a career-high 27.9 points per game in his second team All-NBA second season in 2021-22. He was a finalist for Clutch Player of the year the last two seasons. His back-to-back game winners on New Year’s Eve 2021 and New Year’s Day 2022 captivated the deprived Bulls fan base as the team climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference standings by All-Star Break.
But the Bulls fizzled out over the last two seasons, with back-to-back seasons ending in the Play-In Tournament. This was through no fault of DeRozan. He missed only 17 games over those three seasons and was the model of consistency, production and leadership.
DeRozan’s impact on the team went far beyond his on-court heroics. He was a consummate professional, constantly taking ownership for the team’s underwhelming play. He mentored the young players and constantly went out of his way to develop wholesome team chemistry. He went to Champaign, Illinois to be with Ayo Dosunmu for his jersey retirement at University of Illinois. He took Williams and Dalen Terry under his wing for 5 am summer workouts and dubbed them his sons. He helped Coby White immeasurably, reviewing game tape of his final shot with him, opening the floor for him to flourish and helping him understand the physical toll of playing 36 minutes per night over the course of a season.
If the Bulls crop of young players can carry them to greater heights in the future, DeRozan no doubt will have left a lasting impact that helped get them there.
If the team had been more successful, DeRozan could have continued to climb the ranks of all-time Bulls. But it is time for the Bulls to take a step off the treadmill of mediocrity and build something more future-oriented. For DeRozan, he deserves to compete at a higher level, and that wasn’t going to happen in Chicago.
Now he has his chance, and a new home, with the Kings.
