The Bulls fell to the Heat in blowout fashion on Friday, ending their postseason hopes and sending the franchise into an offseason with questions centered around 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 when trying to compete. DeRozan, though, said he wants the Bulls to field a competitive roster that isn’t competing 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 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 Caurso, 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 Schroder, 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 uninspiring seasons, 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.