On Monday, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report posted a Chicago Bulls free agency update, stating that “Chicago [Bulls] has not opened up dialogue with DeMar DeRozan because they want to get rid of the contracts of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball.”
Haynes’ story concluded with a bold statement about DeRozan’s future with the Bulls: “The DeMar DeRozan era in Chicago is officially over.” It’s worth noticing the correlation between Haynes’ statement that the Bulls haven’t communicated with DeRozan since the start of the 2024 free agency period and his declaration that the Bulls’ DeRozan era is gone.
“They [Chicago Bulls] are willing to talk to DeMar if they get rid of those contracts” , commented Haynes. The DeRozan era is likely over inside the United Center, but it begs the question: if the Bulls’ front office successfully dumped LaVine and Ball’s contracts, and DeRozan is still available as an unrestricted free agent, is there a path to a Bulls contract extension waiting for DeRozan?
During the NBA regular season in 2023-24, the Bulls reportedly offered a two-year contract extension worth $80 million. Tobias Harris and Klay Thompson, two NBA star veterans under new contracts, have been affected by 2024 free agent market demands. Tobias Harris received an average annual salary of $36 million during his five-year maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers then signed a two-year, $52 million contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks after signing a five-year maximum contract with the Golden State Warriors that paid an average yearly salary of $37.9 million.
The price tag that star-level second or third option players received under the previous NBA player collective bargaining agreement appears to be gone, as organizations become more cost-conscious in their free-agent signings. The money DeMar DeRozan wants in his next contract may no longer exist in the NBA. Will the current free agent market influence DeRozan’s wage expectations for his next NBA contract?
All of this suggests that DeMar DeRozan may play for a different NBA organization when the 2024-25 season begins. However, if Arturas Karnisovas is able to clear Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball’s salaries from the Bulls’ cap sheet, the possibility of a DeRozan/Bulls rebirth returns
