According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago, former All-Star DeMar DeRozan has been offered a deal by the Chicago Bulls that could worth up to $80 million over two seasons.
If so, that would be a significant short-term paycheck for the soon-to-be 35-year-old, who has seen his impact lessen – albeit slightly – over the past few years.
But is that the way to go for the Bulls, who once again failed to make it to the actual playoffs, and has looked like a tired, and an uninspiring organization for years?
In a vacuum, there’s an argument to be made on behalf of DeRozan earning such a contract. Outside of being a high-level player (24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists), he’s also a tremendous locker room presence, who is known to take younger players under his wing.
The Bulls, who by all accounts are open to making a pivot in their organizational direction, could decide to invest in DeRozan as both a played and mentor, further justifying such a contractual number. Because, at the end of the day, can you really set a price on a professional locker room where rookies are encouraged and have support from their elders?
The question is, why should DeRozan stay with a team that might be trying to go younger? If the answer is financial compensation, by all means, the Bulls should just go for it, and keep him around to further assist their young core, and the additional young players coming in over the next few years.
Only, there might be some complications with that arrangement.
DeRozan still affects winning in a positive light. That’s obviously not a bad thing, but for a Bulls team that needs a complete overhaul, it might prevent them from being in the deep lottery next year when Duke forward Cooper Flagg is ready to make his NBA arrival.
That’s not to say the Bulls would get him, even if they have the league’s worst record. But you can’t win the lottery if you don’t play, and the better odds you have, the higher likelihood you end up with a player of substantial quality, which is in short supply these days in Chicago.
The Bulls find themselves in an odd situation, where they’re going in multiple directions at once.
They’ve tried trading Zach LaVine since the start of the season, to no avail. Nikola Vučević is turning 34 right at the start of next season, is only entering Year 2 of his contract extension. Coby White, 24, just broke out as a fringe All-Star caliber player, and now they’re looking at re-signing DeRozan who’s about to turn 35.
Chicago is basically all over the place, with no obvious plan, short-term or long-term, meaning signing DeRozan to a new contract would be a little too premature until a new path has been laid down.
Of course, the Bulls have done nothing to prove that they’re forward-thinking, or even capable of making plans beyond just one season. If they’re to maintain this pattern, it only be welcomed by all 29 front offices around the league, who would – once again – not have to waste time planning for the Bulls to be good.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.