The Chicago Bulls made a lot of noise in free agency with several huge moves. They now appear to have established them as real threats in the East for the upcoming season. One could actually argue that the Bulls won free agency with DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso all making their way to the Windy City.
Be that as it may, it's hard to overlook one glaring misstep the Bulls appear to have taken amid all the free agency frenzy. At this point, it's hard not to think that Chicago may have been a bit off with the DeRozan signing.
Don't get me wrong. DeRozan is an excellent addition to the Bulls–on paper at least. The four-time All-Star is coming off an impressive season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 21.6 points (on 49.5 percent from the floor), 4.2 rebounds and a career-best 6.9 assists. He also has a ton of playoff experience under his belt and this could prove to be a valuable asset for an inexperienced Chicago side come the postseason. Although, you also have to take into account that his fit alongside Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, two players that also require significant touches of the ball, could prove to be an issue as well.
The big question, though, is whether or not DeMar DeRozan is worth the $85 million the Bulls will be paying him over the next three seasons. That's more than $28 million per year, which makes him the top earner on the roster. DeRozan just turned 32 and he's going to be 34 on Year 3 of his contract. It doesn't look like the 6-foot-6 swingman is on the decline right now, but there's no denying that Father Time is going to be slowly creeping up on him sooner rather than later. I mean, he's no spring chicken.
Chicago splashing the cash on DeRozan also means that an extension for Zach LaVine is going to be unlikely this summer. Chicago's budding superstar is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, so it might be a case of the Bulls having to negotiate a deal with the 26-year-old once his current contract comes to an end next summer. Is Chicago going to risk losing Zach LaVine in free agency next season? Or is the All-Star shooting guard willing to take a pay cut just to make things work with the Bulls? Given how he's emerged as a bona fide star over the past couple of seasons, signing on a discount seems unlikely for LaVine.
It is also worth noting that prior to putting pen to paper on that massive contract with Chicago, there were whispers about DeRozan possibly taking a significant pay cut to be able to sign with a contender. A homecoming move to the Los Angeles Lakers or the LA Clippers was rumored to be a possibility for him, and in both cases, he would have had to take considerably less money. DeRozan himself admitted that a return to his hometown of LA was something he fantasized about, so there has to at least be some truth to these rumors. In the end, DeMar wanted to get paid, and the Bulls were more than willing to oblige. Did they overpay him, though?
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