DeMar DeRozan was, at one point, the toast of the NBA last season. But could a rough end to his maiden Chicago Bulls campaign be the start of an early divorce?

That's not in the cards yet, but at least one rival Eastern Conference executive hinted to Heavy‘s Sean Deveney that the Bulls have their finger closer to the trigger than you'd expect.

“If this season starts the way last season ended,” the executive tells Heavy’s Sean Deveney, “there is a chance the Bulls could explore all options. And you’d get some good offers. Teams like the Knicks or Dallas or Portland, certainly Miami, they’d give up pieces and picks for a player like DeRozan.”

Giving up on DeMar DeRozan would be a tough pill to swallow for Bulls fans, whichever way they lean in their opinion of the 5-time All-Star. He was originally brought in to maximize Zach LaVine's prime and help elevate Chicago after years of floundering amongst the NBA's middle class. Walking back and trading DeMar DeRozan just over a year after acquiring him would feel like the opposite of progress.

He performed above and beyond expectations during the 2020-21 regular season, but was unable to erase past postseason concerns. They went from top East team in the standings to out with a whimper in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

It's not all on DeRozan given that injuries to Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams, and Alex Caruso have kept the team from gelling at full strength. But at 33 years old, he's not getting any younger. It might be unrealistic to expect him to get even better next season and vanquish his demons further.

A midseason DeMar DeRozan trade would signal another partial rebuild for the Bulls – one fans and front office execs likely want to avoid – but it's reportedly not out of the question if things go south in a hurry.