According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, the Chicago Bulls and DeMar DeRozan were never close to agreeing to a contract extension. It didn’t matter if it was the beginning of the 2023-24 season, during, or even before he went to the Sacramento Kings.
Arturas Kanisovas and DeRozan maintained interest in keeping their partnership alive, but negotiations kept falling flat. The 34-year-old veteran reportedly helped the younger players develop throughout last season.
However, management wanted to go in a different direction after trading Alex Caruso. This separated both sides even more, as DeRozan’s leadership was no longer wanted, and a rebuild was going into full effect.