Chicago Bulls Receive: G/F Malik Beasley, C Mo Bamba, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G/F DeMar DeRozan
On the other hand, players make a home wherever they land. Sometimes, they adopt a second home. Typically, that happens when things go well. A player may not visit a city until he lands to report for his first training camp.
If that team is contending down the line, he may feel like he has a new home. By contrast, when things go south, a city can become just that – a city. It’s more difficult for an NBA player to get attached to a place when he associates it with failure.
With that in mind, one wonders if DeRozan associates Chicago with failure. This team had a wildly disappointing 2022-23 season. Now, some people are expecting them to blow up their roster.
In February, one NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports that Chicago’s front office has “painted themselves” into a corner with their current roster construction. Among the potential moves they could make in the offseason is a trade involving DeRozan.
“They have painted themselves into a corner with the roster being the way it is, especially if they do not extend [Nikola] Vucevic,” said the GM. “They have DeRozan on for one more year and they can either trade him next summer while he has some value or commit to him long-term with an extension, which would be a tough thing to do as long as you still have Zach [LaVine] there.”
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Keep in mind, DeRozan is set to turn 34 in early August. Does it truly make sense for the Bulls to keep him entering this season, given he’s set to play on an expiring contract? Probably not.
If moving him is determined to be the best option, is this the right move for the Bulls?
