USC Basketball: Should Bulls Trade Ex-Trojan DeMar DeRozan?

The USC great could be on the move tomorrow.

The Chicago Bulls should opt to avoid extending small forward DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, this summer, opines Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

The 6’6” swingman, a Pac-10 All-Freshman Teamer during his one-and-done stint with the program in 2008-09 (alongside future Bulls teammate Nikola Vucevic), has had solid individual numbers during his three seasons in Chicago, totally outperforming his current contract. His defensive shortcomings, in combination with opposing playoff defenses’ ability to essentially scheme him into being a mere shadow of himself in postseasons, has limited his efficacy as a true A-tier star, but for what he can give he’s been pretty great.

That said, at age 34 and as the second-best player on a 24-27 Bulls team doomed for play-in tournament irrelevance seemingly from here to eternity, DeRozan owes it to himself to avoid any kind of contract extension deal with his current club.

There may be a solid market out there for a still-elite scorer who shines at drawing contact and nailing midrange jumpers. He deserves to explore real playoff relevance as a third option on a contender in the twilight of his pro career. Chicago, too, should prioritize younger pieces and really think about trading DeRozan, to replenish its draft coffers.

Across 49 contests this season, DeRozan is averaging 22.3 points on .464/.328/.851 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a night.