DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls are not close to an extension
The Chicago Bulls and guard DeMar DeRozan are reportedly at odds over a contract deal. The Chicago Bulls only needed one game to create drama. Following an ugly 124-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on opening night, word immediately spread of a players-only locker room debate.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the two parties are at odds on “multiple fronts” about DeRozan’s deal. “The Bulls want to bring DeMar DeRozan back, whether that’s on an extension or in free agency,” Charania said on FanDuel’s Run It Back. “They’ve been talking about an extension, but I’ve been told the sides are apart on multiple fronts. Years, salary. Also, DeMar DeRozan wants to see where this Bulls team goes.”
"They've been talking about an extension, but I'm told that the sides are apart right now on multiple fronts."@ShamsCharania on Demar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls.@FanDuelTV pic.twitter.com/lt34MBFGOz
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 26, 2023
DeMar DeRozan, 34, is in the final year of a three-year, $81.9 million contract with the Bulls that he signed in 2021. That transaction was perceived as a startling overpay at the time, but DeRozan has proven to be a value instead.
DeRozan made an All-Star team in each of his first two seasons in Chicago and was named to the NBA’s second team in 2021-22. He has scored at least 20 points in each of the last ten seasons.
While the Bulls would want to keep DeRozan, the cost will almost certainly be an issue. He is 35 in August, and spending $25-30 million per season for a non-superstar in his late 30s isn’t exactly a wise financial option, especially given Chicago’s struggles to compete with the top tier of the Eastern Conference.
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