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The Chicago Bulls may finally be looking toward the future they’ve tried so hard to avoid.
Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan is headed to the Sacramento Kings in a trade with the Bulls, ending his time in the Windy City after three seasons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash are sent to the Bulls in the deal, Wojnarowski added, and the Kings are sending Harrison Barnes and a 2031 unprotected pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs.
DeRozan will sign a three-year, $73.7 million contract with Sacramento, with the third year partially guaranteed at $10 million, according to Wojnarowski.
Here are the details of the agreement:
To the bulls: Chris Duarte, two second-round picks, silver.
To the Spurs: Harrison Barnes, 2031 unprotected pick trade.
De’Aaron Fox played a “pivotal role” in DeRozan’s arrival to the Kings, according to Bleacher Report and TNT’s Chris Haynes.
DeRozan attended Sacramento’s Summer League game shortly after his contract was announced and received a standing ovation from Kings fans:
Jason Anderson @JandersonSacBee
DeMar DeRozan was just introduced to the Sacramento crowd to the sound of Kendrick Lamar’s “They Not Like Us.” pic.twitter.com/yhFu6hy1m7
DeRozan’s future with the Bulls has been the subject of intrigue all year long thanks to his impending free agency.
By keeping him until the NBA trade deadline, Chicago made it clear that it hopes to keep him this summer. Sam Amick On February 9, the 34-year-old said: “He is happy there and would like to return, if money allows.”
There may have been more than financial considerations at play after the Bulls posted their second consecutive losing record. Their season began with a meeting reserved for players after the first game and did not improve much after that. The team finished 39-43 and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, losing to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament.
No NBA organization is more stuck on the proverbial treadmill of mediocrity than Chicago, and it’s a position the franchise has found itself in for years.
Lonzo Ball is making his career derailed by knee injuries The vision outlined by executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has been squandered. But it’s worth asking whether a plan in which Ball has such outsized influence is flawed from the start.
Instead of starting over, management didn’t even do everything it could to make the most of a limited roster. Not only did Chicago not trade DeRozan or Zach LaVine, but it also failed to do only one addition before the February deadline.
In this context, it’s not hard to understand why DeRozan is leaving the Bulls, and the Bulls’ decision to trade Alex Caruso outright for Josh Giddey foreshadowed his departure.
Giddey, even if he’s supposed to replace Ball, is much younger than Caruso and simply a lesser player at the moment. It’s the kind of contract you’d expect from a general manager looking toward a rebuild.
In this context, re-signing DeRozan on the terms he wanted made no sense.
In a vacuum, the six-time All-Star has value for a franchise with postseason aspirations. He averaged 24.0 points on 48.0 percent shooting, along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 2023-24.
DeRozan couldn’t have been the No. 1 pick for a championship team in his prime; trading him for Kawhi Leonard ultimately allowed the Toronto Raptors to take over. In fact, his reputation has taken another hit since leaving Toronto. He’s played a combined 12 playoff games with the Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Moving to a secondary scoring role with the Kings would suit him better.
His departure is arguably the best outcome for Chicago at this point, as Karnišovas – assuming he is retained – has virtually no choice but to rip off the bandage.
NBC Sports Chicago KJ Johnson It was reported in March that the Bulls would explore the LaVine trade market again this offseason, but it’s hard to see how their position has improved after he underwent season-ending foot surgery in February.
Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf could decide to wipe it all away and put in place new leadership to guide what is almost certain to be the next era of Bulls basketball.
Whether it’s Karnišovas or someone else, it may be a while before Chicago is able to compete in any meaningful way again.
The Kings had a quiet offseason after re-signing Malik Monk.
Part of that approach is intentional, with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox already signed to lucrative contracts, but the team was in good financial shape going into $14.3 million under the first apron before DeRozan’s contract.
Sacramento needed to do something to get back into playoff contention after finishing ninth in the Western Conference last season. Its 46-36 record was just two games worse than it was in the 2022-23 campaign, but the conference as a whole is in much better shape now.
DeRozan isn’t looking to add a huge amount of upside to the Kings at this point in his career. He does, however, offer them a higher upside that could propel them into the top six in the West.
