Should the Bulls extend DeMar DeRozan?
The Chicago Bulls have had an interesting offseason to say the least — possibly one of the worst I have ever seen. They broke one of the cardinal sins in sports: Keeping almost all of their players at terrible prices and continuing to be mediocre. So, that begs the question, should the Bulls keep doing what they’re doing and extend DeMar DeRozan, should they trade him or let him walk?
DeRozan has been given high praise from general manager Marc Eversley, even saying that he is hoping to keep him in Chicago in the future.
“His first two years here, he’s been terrific. He’s been probably one or two of our best players, All-NBA. He continues to work at a rate that you would want a veteran to work at,” Eversley said during an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast, via NBC Sports Chicago. “We talked to him (in August)—(coach) Billy (Donovan), AK (executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas) and I—just about the season, the outlook, what are our goals and what we’re looking to accomplish. He’s completely aligned with what we want to do.
“He’s the ultimate leader, the ultimate teammate. He takes all the young guys under his wing. He’s been terrific.”
Although the Bulls and DeRozan are at a standstill on contract negotiations, let’s break down what Chicago should actually do with their superstar.
When fully healthy, the Bulls have the ability to be one of the best teams in the league. With guys like Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, that becomes a solid younger core.
But the NBA is riddled with injuries every season and star players go out with a blink of an eye. Look no further than Ball. The Bulls’ staff has even questioned if he will ever play again due to his current and past injuries. Even more so, Ball and Caruso are some of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Losing both in a single season has damaged the Bulls chances of winning.
With Chicago’s injury bug, it questions if they should blow up the entire team or be stuck in mediocrity. DeRozan is coming to a point in his career where all players do is care about winning and cementing their legacy as an all-time great, which you can only do by winning.
If I was Eversley, I would blow the whole thing up. Trade everyone while you can. The Bulls will not contend in a stacked Eastern Conference while they’re constantly injured. It makes no sense to keep choking down another year of your players’ prime.
The NBA operates on short timelines. You have to make drastic moves to win. If not, you will be out of the league in no time.
Eversley, or any higher position in the Bulls organization, if you’re reading this, you have to bite the bullet while you can. Get some value out of your guys. Please.
With that being said, to answer the big question: No, the Chicago Bulls should not extend DeMar DeRozan.
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