The 2024 offseason brought big changes for the Chicago Bulls. Though the team didn’t completely overhaul the roster, they did move on from two key veterans — Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan — who ranked fifth and first in total minutes played, respectively.
In return for Caruso, the Bulls landed Josh Giddey in a deal that sparked plenty of backlash. Meanwhile, DeRozan’s exit came via sign-and-trade, a move that’s now drawing fresh criticism.
At 34 and with the Bulls missing the playoffs for two straight seasons, it was clear DeRozan wasn’t part of Chicago’s future. He signed a three-year, $74 million deal with the Sacramento Kings — a decision that some questioned — and a three-team sign-and-trade was put in motion.
Chicago’s return hasn’t aged well.
The Bulls received Chris Duarte, RaiQuan Gray, and a 2025 second-round pick in the deal involving Sacramento and San Antonio. The Spurs absorbed Harrison Barnes’ $54 million contract to help facilitate things.
Duarte played just 17 games for Chicago. Gray was waived within a week. The pick became Lachlan Olbrich. Meanwhile, DeRozan suited up for 77 games in Sacramento, putting up 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per contest. The Kings were 5.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.
As for the Spurs, they landed Barnes almost by default — and it paid off. The veteran forward played all 82 games, averaged 12.3 points while shooting 50.8% from the field and 43.3% from three. San Antonio was +6.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court.
The Bulls didn’t have a ton of leverage — DeRozan picked Sacramento — but they did hold his Bird rights. Unfortunately, executive Artūras Karnišovas and his team didn’t make the most of them.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton recently revisited the trade and downgraded Chicago’s grade.
“I gave the Bulls too much credit in the moment, given they didn’t end up with either of the two best parts of this trade: DeRozan and the pick swap,” Pelton wrote. “Chicago derived little value from DeRozan’s Bird rights and waived Duarte after he played only 74 minutes.”
Pelton initially gave the Bulls a C. That’s now a D. The Kings dropped from C+ to C-, while the Spurs stayed at an A.
Looking back, the DeRozan sign-and-trade is largely forgotten thanks to the louder Giddey-for-Caruso deal. Caruso helped his new team win a title; Giddey’s still locked in a contract battle.
But in hindsight, it’s fair to wonder: why didn’t the Bulls just take back Harrison Barnes? He would’ve fit well with the current roster and could’ve started next to Matas Buzelis this upcoming season.
In the end, Chicago let DeRozan walk — and got almost nothing in return.
