Bulls end DeMar DeRozan era and sign Chris Duarte in sign-and-trade deal

Monte McNair, general manager of the Sacramento Kings, heard fans chanting his name on Saturday night.

“Monte! Monte! Monte!” they shouted.

Word had just spread around the Golden 1 Center that the basketball boss had signed six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan in a multi-team sign-and-trade. According to ESPN, Sacramento sent Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash to the Chicago Bulls and Harrison Barnes and a 2031 pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs.

This is how DeMar DeRozan’s signing is currently going in Sacramento: The crowd spotted Monte McNair before a summer league game and started chanting “Monte! Monte!” pic.twitter.com/1EAQS92PGm

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 7, 2024

Kings fans showered McNair with nonstop applause as he greeted family and friends sitting courtside at the California Classic Summer League. With a blockbuster signing, McNair moved the Kings closer to championship chances by pairing DeRozan with an impressive starting lineup that also features De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and likely Malik Monk.

DeRozan, who earned the nickname “King of the Fourth” for his fourth-quarter dominance during his three seasons with the Bulls, will provide stability for Sacramento as another reliable scorer in crunch time. In 229 games with the Bulls, he averaged 25.5 points on 49.6 percent shooting, playing in 93 percent of his team’s games during that time.

Minutes after McNair arrived, DeRozan walked into the Golden 1 Center on Saturday, celebrated as if he had already given the Kings a game-winning mid-range shot against the rival Golden State Warriors. With rapper Kendrick Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us” blaring from the arena’s speakers, Kings fans erupted in cheers as DeRozan strolled to his seat. DeRozan, who signed a three-year, $76 million contract, The athlete‘s Shams Charania waved briefly before joining Kings Governor Vivek Ranadivé on the sidelines to watch the Kings’ Summer League team take on the Chinese national team.

DeMar DeRozan just entered the Golden 1 Center with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive to great applause pic.twitter.com/sUC8oY3TCo

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 7, 2024

On the seventh day of free agency, the timing of the coronation felt almost choreographed. But the reason for the exuberant celebration was entirely understandable. Sacramento ended a 16-year playoff drought two seasons ago before missing the postseason in 2023-24. The Kings haven’t made it to the second round since 2004. DeRozan, combined with Sacramento’s dynamic core, makes the Kings a dangerous opponent.

The Bulls missed the playoffs four straight seasons before DeRozan came to Chicago and led the franchise to a 46-36 record in 2021-22. DeRozan averaged a career-high 27.9 points and helped the Bulls finish sixth in the Eastern Conference this season before an injury-plagued squad lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Chicago was eliminated in the final stages of the play-in tournament each of the last two seasons despite numerous injuries.

DeRozan, who turns 35 next month, is doggedly proving he still has plenty to offer, even in a starring role. He led the NBA in total playing time with 2,989 minutes and an average of 37.8 minutes. Only twice in his career has he played more minutes in a season: in his fourth and fifth seasons, when he was 23 and 24. Last season was his 15th.

But in Sacramento, DeRozan no longer needs to be a jack of all trades. Instead, the Kings already have the star power needed to establish DeRozan as a deadly third scoring option.

As with his previous stints in Toronto and San Antonio, DeRozan must demonstrate a commitment to defense and 3-point shooting all season long. In each subsequent season with the Bulls, he increased his commitment in both areas. In his first season with Chicago, for example, DeRozan drew one tackle. In his final two seasons, he drew 23 tackles, second on the team behind NBA All-Defensive Second-Team selection Alex Caruso, who had 26 tackles.

DeRozan’s professionalism was perhaps the only thing that surpassed his endurance and fourth-quarter dominance over the past three seasons. He brought leadership to the Bulls as a legend that many of his teammates watched growing up. In January 2021, DeRozan drove to the jersey retirement of then-rookie Ayo Dosummu at the University of Illinois. DeRozan also kindly and boisterously invited younger teammates like Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry to work out with him every summer.

The mood in Chicago is now one of relief. Had the Bulls re-signed DeRozan, who had repeatedly expressed his desire to return, it would have been a sure way to gain more respect. Chicago would have had 40 wins and a third consecutive season in the play-in tournament. Bulls basketball director Artūras Karnišovas promised changes to a roster that was at full capacity, and DeRozan’s seven-day wait raised critical questions for the Bulls’ direction.

When the Bulls traded Caruso to the Thunder a week before the NBA draft, DeRozan’s fate was sealed. Chicago decided to change course and signed 21-year-old point guard Josh Giddey, the sixth pick in the 2021 draft. Duarte, the 6-foot-6 swingman with 3-and-D potential who is moving from the Kings to the Bulls, was the 13th pick this year.

After the Bulls signed Williams to a five-year, $90 million deal on the eve of free agency, DeRozan would have had to take a massive pay cut to stay in Chicago – where he would play on a team that is rebuilding. The deal gives the Bulls a chance to rebuild while giving DeRozan a chance to get back to the playoffs.

Chicago was able to avoid its worst-case scenario of seeing DeRozan leave as a free agent for nothing. With few teams having salary cap space or being ideal places to trade, DeRozan hit a limited market. The Bulls deserve credit for acquiring future tradeable assets for DeRozan, but the move also feels like a step backwards. Attentive observers who called for the Bulls to reposition at least at the trade deadline last year will still wonder what the Bulls could have gotten for trading DeRozan last season. Instead, the Bulls made a failed attempt to make the playoffs.

The additional draft picks could benefit the Bulls in the upcoming offseason of changes. After the trade of Caruso and DeRozan, the Bulls now have to make decisions about Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević and Lonzo Ball. All three are still under contract and could still be on the roster on opening night.

But the Bulls are proving they are serious about making changes.

(Photo of DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes: Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)