Quite a bit has changed for the Chicago Bulls since the 2025-26 regular season came to an end.
Now under the leadership of Bryson Graham, the Bulls have already built out a promising young core— one headlined by Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, and Dailyn Swain. Their acquisition of Nic Claxton and their signing of Norman Powell should help position them perfectly to take advantage of the NBA's new '3-2-1' lottery system.
For the most part, therefore, their offseason business has come to an end. They still have one roster spot to deal with, though.
Ideally, that spot should be utilized on a piece that, like Powell and Zach Collins, can possibly be flipped at the trade deadline for additional draft capital. If the Bulls have a chance to accelerate their rebuild through those means, they should take it in an instant.
But with the news that DeMar DeRozan has been waived by the Sacramento Kings and will look for a new team this offseason, an additional temptation has presented itself. It's one, though, that Chicago should resist at all costs.
DeMar DeRozan isn't a viable option for the Bulls' final roster spot
In fairness, DeRozan perhaps gets a worse rap than he deserves at this point in his career. During his three-season tenure with the Bulls, DeRozan was consistently available and was a high-volume scorer, averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 49.6% from the field.
The Bulls traded DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings as part of the deal that sent Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs ahead of 2024-25. Since his arrival in Sacramento, DeRozan's production and efficiency have only declined. Across 77 games in 2025-26, he averaged just 18.4 points and shot just 32.0% from 3-point range.
For a team like the Golden State Warriors, DeRozan could represent the type of veteran scoring option needed for a depleted rotation. The Bulls, though, are entering a new era— one that's moved on from DeRozan.
DeRozan's tenure in Chicago, while successful from a standpoint of production, was an abject failure in terms of return on investment. In 2022-23, the Bulls were paying a combined $64 million to DeRozan and Zach Lavine. They finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and were ultimately eliminated from the Play-In Tournament by the Miami Heat.
DeRozan will play for his next team on a much cheaper deal. But the Bulls need a player who can fill their roster spot without the expectation of a major role, ceding ground to Dailyn Swain and other young rotational pieces as the season wears on. To use that roster spot on a player like DeRozan would represent a step backwards.
At this point in his career, DeRozan doesn't want that. He wants to compete, and justifiably so. For the Bulls, any temptation towards a reunion, if it exists, must be outright ignored this offseason.
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