The Bulls fell to the Heat in blowout fashion on Friday, ending their postseason hopes and sending the franchise into an offseason filled with questions about the long-term futures of franchise centerpieces DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. DeRozan, an unrestricted free agent, has repeatedly emphasized his desire to remain in Chicago. But on Friday, DeRozan sounded like a possible return would be contingent on change, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson writes.
“That’s still where I’m at,” he said about wanting to remain in Chicago. “But at the end of the day, I hate losing. I hate missing opportunities. It really hits you after the season when you look up and the last seconds run off. 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. You just want to have the opportunity to give everything great in you. My stance on wanting to be here is still the same. But I just want to win. Seeing the first round of the playoffs, the second round of the playoffs is frustrating.”
Teammates and coaches like Coby White and Billy Donovan are emphatic about wanting DeRozan to return. Donovan in particular noted Chicago’s injuries as an inhibiting factor regarding its ability to compete. Both he and general manager Arturas Karnisovas discussed the importance of continuity. DeRozan, though, said he wants the Bulls to field a competitive roster that isn’t just contending for the play-in next year, though he acknowledged Chicago’s poor injury luck.
As for LaVine, the two-time All-Star was involved in trade speculation this year before undergoing season-ending foot surgery. According to Johnson, Donovan said he still envisions LaVine being part of a winning equation in Chicago. Both Donovan and White spoke highly of LaVine on Friday.
“We’re not really focused on that (speculation about LaVine’s future),” White said. “I know what type of dude he is. I know what type of player he is and how much he cares about winning and how much he cares about the team. Everybody in this locker room knows who he is as a person. He’s been there since he had surgery, giving us motivation. I can’t thank him enough for that.”
We have more from the Bulls:
- Apart from DeRozan, Patrick Williams (restricted) and Andre Drummond are key free agents that will help dictate Chicago’s offseason direction, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes. Lonzo Ball‘s recovery from knee injuries that have kept him out the past two-plus years will also play into the offseason plans. As Marks observes, if Ball’s injury is deemed career ending, Chicago would be allowed to remove his $21.9MM salary (player option) from the books. As for the duo of DeRozan and LaVine, the Bulls have until June 30 to extend DeRozan for up to three years and up to $129MM. Finding a taker for LaVine’s $43MM salary could be difficult, but the Bulls could benefit if a team with cap space strikes out in free agency. Alex Caruso, eligible to sign for up to four years and $78.8MM, is an extension candidate to watch.
- With White, LaVine, Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry all under contract for next season, Chicago’s guard rotation looks full. Still, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Donovan still sees plenty of room for Ball in the rotation. While there’s still uncertainty with Ball’s ability to return, as Marks mentioned, the Bulls have maintained optimism in his comeback. Donovan said if the guard rotation remains the same, he likes his players’ abilities to complement each other’s games. “When I was in Oklahoma [City], we had Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Chris Paul and Dennis Schröder, and I played those guys a lot together because of the IQ and the unselfishness, the way they were willing to play,” Donovan said. “… I feel really good with [White, Dosunmu and Ball] out there because of their makeup and their mindset as players.“
- While the Bulls deserve credit for overcoming a 5-14 start to the season, they’re ultimately stuck in a cycle of mediocrity and the franchise has just one playoff appearance since 2016/17, Johnson writes. In order to break the cycle, Johnson opines, the Bulls need to get creative in free agency like they did when they brought in DeRozan, Ball and Caruso in 2021.
- Despite an uninspiring season, the Bulls continue to express interest in retaining all of their free agents, which would have the organization set up to pay the luxury tax for just the second time since ’02/03. ESPN’s Jamal Collier explores how Chicago got to this point.
DeMar, Vooch, and LaVine should be gone next year.
If Ball’s knee is career-ending then let the Bulls get rid of the player option.
White, Ayo, and Williams should be the core and give Sanogo a chance at PF.
Bring back Andre to play C and keep A.C. for the bench.
White PG
Ayo SG
Willams SF
Sanogo PF
Andre C
Would be solid as can be.
A.C., Terry and a PF\C off the bench would be solid enough and fill in the rest.
… you can’t get rid of a player option. Lonzo is going to exercise it.
Lonzo will use his option but he won’t count against the cap. Should get an injury exemption. He actually could play again according to ball himself.
I have hard time believing that but that is what he said so maybe they trade him and another team takes a chance on him. Hit would be like an expiring contract.
No one is trading for Lonzo unless it is to get rid of a long, unwanted contract, which the Bulls should not take on.
Lonzo is progressing and may very well play next year. Bulls may not get an injury exemption so fans can’t bank on that.
Jerry Reinsdorf will never allow the Bulls to be a competitive team. He refuses to go over the luxury tax, so why expect anything different at this point? He’s complacent with mediocrity. Look at how he’s treating the White Sox? He needs to sell the team to someone who actually gives a damn about winning in Chicago. Until then (or he croaks), the Bulls will forever be in mediocrity.
terrible time to be a Bulls fan. It is a bad team with no flexibility. It is easily 3-5 years before the damage can be undone and they can be competitive again
The Bulls don’t have much flexibility. Should not resign DeRozan. Bulls overachieved this season. Have hit their ceiling. Appreciate how much better White and Dosunmu played this season but in reality, they are just solid role players, not difference makers. It was obvious right from the beginning that the Bulls need more size at the forward position.
Bulls should just wait to see what offers Patrick Williams receives and then match the offer. Worked well when LaVine was up for a contract in 2018. Will be impossible to trade LaVine until the other teams see LaVine actually on the court.
The Bulls won’t get rid of DeRozan for better or worse, so there’s no point in hoping they do. Jettison Vuc now and LaVine at the deadkine is the best you can pray for.
Who exactly is trading for a no-defense, 27% 3 point shooting, 34 year old center (oh yeah, he’s also a ‘double-double machine’ of empty stats)?
Can an NBA team make a trade with the Shanghai Sharks?
Injury (disabled player) exception doesn’t remove the injured salary from the cap (team just gets a separate stand alone exception in the amoung of 50% of the guy’s salary), and has no impact at all on the luxury tax. Even if they got one for Ball (doubtful, at least to start the year), it really changes nothing.
Different exception. This would be like the one for Chris Bosh, career ending, not injury exception. They can cancel the contract’s final year if he is deemed unable to ever play again.
Likely he will limp onto the court for a few games to ensure that doesn’t happen.
The new players will be Lach ZaZine, Remar DeDozan, and Vikola Nucevic, and AK will extend all of them