NEWSLETTER
Arturas Karnisovas sat in front of the media on Saturday and vowed that changes are coming to the Chicago Bulls. However, one report immediately puts into question how significant those changes will be.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported shortly after Karnisovas’ end-of-season press conference that the Bulls recently offered DeMar DeRozan a lofty extension. The veteran forward turned it down with unrestricted free agency approaching.
Here’s exactly what Johnson wrote:
Multiple outlets, including NBC Sports Chicago, reported previously that trading Zach LaVine remains an offseason focus. Karnišovas reiterated his desire to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams.
A source said the Bulls recently offered DeRozan’s representative a two-year deal at a high annual salary, perhaps as much as $40 million per season. For now, DeRozan is seeking a longer-term deal, but that merely be part of negotiations.
Be sure to read Johnson’s full article for more context.
Too Much for DeMar DeRozan?
Let me first touch on the dollar amount that I’m positive made some people gasp. If we’re being honest, $40 million per season isn’t necessarily crazy for DeRozan. He’s consistently been among the top scorers in the NBA over the past three seasons, and we haven’t seen alarming signs that he’s about to slow down any time soon. If Fred VanVleet can get over $40 million a year last season from the Rockets, grabbing DeRozan for two years, $80 million isn’t the most ridiculous overpay. This is especially true when we consider the Bulls have surely underpaid DeRozan the past few years.
The real problem here is simply what re-signing DeRozan means for the organization. It’s highly unlikely the Bulls can make impactful changes if they decide to hand DeRozan this hefty deal. Giving him this money, while also re-signing Patrick Williams (which should be a priority), would thrust them over the luxury tax if they are unable to trade Zach LaVine. And Karnisovas just said he isn’t going into the tax for a team that isn’t top 4 in the Eastern Conference.
Ok, but let’s assume the Bulls find a trade for LaVine. The organization is then presumably moving forward with DeRozan as their highest-paid, marquee player. You’re also not getting rid of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, and I have a hard time believing Nikola Vucevic is going anywhere for an attractive trade return right now. So, in this situation, are the Bulls just adding a couple of new rotation pieces and calling that change? Why would there be any reason to believe that the team is doing anything more than vying for a Play-In Tournament spot for the third straight year?
Again, this has nothing to do with DeRozan. I think he’s a great player and deserves to get paid. But I also think he isn’t the kind of player you (1) retool your whole team around and (2) makes sense for where the Bulls are at. Unless he is re-signing on a cheaper deal, it’s just so hard to see a world where things are that much different in Chicago. And I don’t want DeRozan to have to take a cheaper deal!
As much as I’ve enjoyed watching the guy, this is likely a natural time for the two to go their separate ways. I have to imagine DeRozan is also thinking about this, especially after what he had to say during his presser following the Bulls’ Play-In Tournament loss.
“That’s still where I’m at,” DeRozan said about wanting to be in Chicago. “But, at the end of the day, I hate losing. I hate missing opportunities. I think it really hits you after the season when you look up, the last seconds run off, and you don’t have another game. The next time I play a game will be my 16th season. You realize the window closes for you personally. I ain’t trying to play 25 years or nothing like that.”
If one thing is for sure, this isn’t going to be the last time we here numbers thrown out between the Bulls and DeRozan’s camp. Get ready for a long offseason.
