Video: DeMar DeRozan Says He'd 'Love' New Bulls Contract in 2024 NBA Free Agency
Ahead of his upcoming foray into free agency, veteran wing DeMar DeRozan expressed interest Wednesday in re-signing with the Chicago Bulls.
Speaking to former NBA guard Lou Williams on Run It Back, DeRozan praised the city of Chicago and the Bulls organization, saying: "The city is great, I love the city, the organization been great—it's definitely a place I would love to return to and take care of unfinished business."
DeRozan also admitted that the Bulls' inability to get over the hump in recent years is contributing to his desire to help turn things around, saying: "It's definitely somewhere I'd like to return to. I think more than anybody, you know when the job ain't done with me, no matter how tough the situation may look, I'm one of those guys that tries to stick it through and tries to make something out of nothing."
In his three seasons in Chicago, DeRozan has only made the playoffs once, and the Bulls have not won a playoff series during his tenure.
The 34-year-old DeRozan has enjoyed a spectacular career, earning six All-Star nods and three All-NBA selections in 15 seasons.
He has remained productive late in his career, as he was named an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in Chicago, and he was the Bulls' leading scorer last season with 24.0 points per game to go along with 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
The one major accolade missing from DeRozan's career is an NBA championship and even an NBA Finals appearance for that matter, as he has never made it past the conference finals.
If DeRozan is willing to take less in free agency or be part of a sign-and-trade deal, he could potentially set himself up to contend for a championship on a winning team.
However, his comments suggest that his preference would be to make things work in Chicago, although it is tough to see an immediate path to title contention in the Windy City.
If the Bulls re-sign DeRozan, they would have a core made up of him, Zach LaVine, Coby White and Nikola Vučević. While LaVine did miss most of this season due to injury, that core was only good enough to secure a 39-43 record and a spot in the play-in tournament.
LaVine was the subject of constant trade rumors during the season, so he could be on the move this offseason, but it is unlikely the Bulls would get much in return that could help them immediately.
The Eastern Conference is currently stacked at the top with quality teams such as the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, plus the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic are making huge strides.
Loyalty could compel DeRozan to re-sign with the Bulls, but if he does, it is difficult to envision him leading Chicago to championship glory any time soon.
