According to Bulls reporter KC Johnson, the Bulls offered DeRozan a two-year, $80 million contract extension, but DeRozan declined. With an annual salary of $40 million, which is already a lot, why did DeRozan refuse? There are two reasons: 1. DeRozan wants a long-term contract, and 2) DeRozan is not satisfied with the Bulls' current roster.
The Bulls are 39-43 this season and ninth in the East, missing out on the playoffs. After the team was out, DeRozan said: "Ball is injured, LaVine is injured, we have a lot of key players injured, I don't know if it's bad luck. Hopefully the squad will be competitive and let's go for the title instead of the play-offs. ”
DeRozan's refusal to renew his contract for a two-year, 80 million contract extension is not necessarily a bad thing for the Bulls. Carlisovas, the Bulls' vice president of basketball operations, said: "This team didn't achieve much, and now it's time to make a change. I'm responsible for that, and I'm going to have to find the answers to these questions in the offseason!"
Teammate Kobe White supports the Bulls in giving DeRozan a big contract: "DeRozan is my big brother, and given everything he's done for the team and Chicago, and the help he's given me, I think DeRozan deserves the contract he wants, for any amount. The boss of the bull thought to himself: good guy, you don't have to pay for it yourself, you are tough to talk about.
Speaking about his offseason options, DeRozan said, "I want to stay with the Bulls, but more importantly I want to win. We're in my 16th season, my window is closing, and when you have a chance to win a title, you want to give it your all. DeRozan was born on August 7, 1989, and will turn 35 this summer.
DeRozan played in 80 regular season games this season, averaging 37.6 minutes per game, scoring 24 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 48%, 33.3% and 85.3% from three. The average points per game, rebounds, shooting and free throw shooting percentage are all the lowest in the Bulls' career. It is worth mentioning that DeRozan has the first playing time in the league!
In the 2021 offseason, the Bulls signed DeRozan for three years and $81.9 million, and his contract expires in the summer of 2024. In his three-year Bulls career, DeRozan missed the playoffs twice and was out of the first round of the playoffs once, which was not as good as his results in the Raptors that year. If DeRozan wants to compete for a championship, there is no hope of staying with the Bulls, after all, his career is short.
Let's take a look at the Bulls' salary: In the 2022 offseason, the Bulls signed LaVine to a five-year, $215 million extension, and his contract expires in the summer of 2027. In the 2023 offseason, the Bulls signed Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million extension, and his contract expires in the summer of 2026. Ball's contract is four years, $80 million, expiring in the summer of 2025.
In addition, Patrick Williams' rookie contract expires this summer, and he wants a multi-billion dollar contract. If Pawe and DeRozan both get big contracts, the Bulls will have five players with annual salaries of more than $20 million. In fact, even if DeRozan and Pawe leave the team, it will be difficult for the Bulls to rebuild, and LaVine's contract is smashed!
LaVine has only played 25 games this season, and the Bulls wanted to trade him but didn't send him away, and management was helpless. Final question: Do you think DeRozan should leave the Bulls?