Changes are coming to the Bulls this summer. Maybe he’s 15 months late to the party, but Bulls VP and lead basketball decision-maker Arturas Karnisovas said what Chicago hasn’t worked — two trips to the play-in the past two years, both times knocked out by Miami — and he knows this roster isn’t working and things need to be shaken up.
That may not be the case with DeMar DeRozan, however. Karnisovas wants to keep him and DeRozan he is open to staying, but the disagreement is not about money but years, reports K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
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.
“DeMar’s been great for us for three years,” Karnišovas said. “He’s been invested in the city of Chicago and has been really great to our young guys. So both sides are interested in continuing and we’ll see what happens in free agency.”
Take all of this with a few grains of salt. This sounds like some negotiating in public.
DeRozan made $28.6 million this past season and is now a free agent. He averaged 24 points and 5.3 assists a game, plus was one of the best clutch players in the league, still it’s hard to imagine the Bulls want to give him a significant raise off this, especially at age 34. Two years at $80 million seems very high, but two at $55-$60 million could be a fit, and a tradable deal if the Bulls decide to go that direction. The real argument is over years, the Bulls wisely want it to be a shorter contract like two years, DeRozan knows there aren’t many more deals coming and wants the security of at least a third year added on.
The Bulls are expected to try again to trade Zach LaVine this summer and start to retool this roster. Re-signing DeRozan keeps some steady, reliable offense in the United Center amid all the changes. DeRozan’s game can mesh with whatever players the Bulls ultimately bring in.
There may not be more money or years out on the open market for DeRozan, but who knows once a GM somewhere strikes out on his first couple of options. Things change. This is a negotiation to watch because the ground will be shifting.
