DeMar DeRozan Could Look To Force His Way Out Of Chicago

Back in 2021, following the signing of DeMar DeRozan, Bleacher Report wrote a very colorful piece on how horrendous the addition was for Chicago. The author highlighted the sizeable gap between the top two on the list as being the largest among the rankings, calling DeRozan a "32-year-old who's a poor fit with his new club and limited in worrisome ways for someone aging past his prime." He was a little off on his prediction, putting it lightly. DeRozan took over the city of Chicago in a matter of weeks, scoring 30 or more points in three of his first eight games with the Bulls. He was also a starter in the All-Star game, was an All-NBA team member, a top-five MVP candidate, and had the team leading the Eastern Conference during the first half of the year. With the recent drama alongside a disappointing start to the season, he could be headed for the door this summer, according to league sources. DeRozan has since given the perfect response to the usually eyebrow-raising reports coming from 'league sources,' but what if they're right?

Snowballing In Chicago

The Chicago Bulls have yet to find their stride in the 2022-23' season, or even remotely close to it. Still without a three-game winning streak and three losing streaks of that length already, they sit at 13-18 after back-to-back wins the last two nights. Most nights, the postgame interviews included not playing a 'full 48 minutes' mixed in with other issues causing the losses, but Sunday night was different. Following a 150-126 loss in Minnesota, answers were more indicative that something more concerning than a sore stretch was going on. Head coach Billy Donovan mentioned the 'care factor' being missing, DeRozan called the game 'beyond embarrassing,' and Goran Dragic said, "We are not playing for each other, simple as that." Less than a day later, reports say there was a locker room incident at half-time of the Timberwolves game, and the team morale was dismayed.

Reports and rumors are bound to spread with a severely underperforming team, and the news keeps getting worse with Chicago. First, reports said that Zach Lavine was the center of 'directed frustrations' from the group, next Lavine and DeRozan having individual meetings surfaced concerning the lack of chemistry on the floor, and finally, several guys either not 'seeing eye-to-eye' with the franchise or wanting out altogether has now come to light. With Lonzo Ball out possibly the entire year and no outspoken plans to bring in or ship out anyone, this roster needs to figure it out in a hurry. Vucevic has called every game a 'must-win' at this point.

DeMarvelous Bulls Tenure

If this is the end for DeMar DeRozan, he deserves nothing but the best as he departs Chicago, a hero of sorts. Bringing the most successful basketball that Bulls fans have seen since the Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler days, it was refreshingly exciting to tune in to the DeRozan-led 2021-22' team. In his first season in the Windy City, DeRozan averaged a career-best 27.9 points per contest on over 50% shooting from the field. That scoring is the highest for a Bull since Michael Jordan. He also hit back-to-back buzzer-beaters, scored 35 or more in seven straight games, and dropped 41 in the first playoff win for Chicago in five years.

Expecting an aging star to help mentor and contribute down the stretch, Bulls fans got much more than that. If this is the end of the road for DeRozan's Bulls career, it will forever intrigue the question of what could have been if this roster stayed healthy for consecutive seasons. When they were fully healthy and firing on all cylinders, they sat atop the Eastern Conference standings and were headlining SC's Top Ten Plays nightly. An underwhelming Nikola Vucevic and an injured Lonzo Ball have turned a magical 2021-22' team into one slated to miss the postseason altogether. Playing the best basketball of his career, he's looking for an opportunity at his first championship ring, which isn't in Chicago's future at this rate.

DeRozan Claps Back

"Take it straight from the horse's mouth," said Zach Lavine earlier this week, and this is pretty evident that DeRozan won't be going anywhere. Let's hope they ride this momentum back into the hunt and that it's not even a consideration for the five-time all-star.