Nuggets fans are about to get a crash course in the DeMar DeRozan experience.
Denver has brought in the veteran guard and former Chicago Bulls star after losing Peyton Watson, signing DeRozan to a one-year, $3.9 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. At 36, he still gives a team something useful next to Nikola Jokic. He also brings the same limitations Bulls fans saw up close.
That’s the DeRozan package: real scoring punch, real production, and a very clear ceiling.
In Chicago, he delivered. Over three seasons and 229 games, DeRozan averaged 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field. He made two All-Star teams and earned Second Team All-NBA honors in 2021-22.
The problem has never been whether he can score. It’s how he scores, and what comes with that style.
DeRozan remains one of the best mid-range shooters of his era. For his career, he’s a 49.1 percent shooter from 2-point range. He’s hit nearly 46 percent of his shots from 10 to 16 feet and 41 percent from 16 feet to the 3-point line.
But the area beyond that has always been the issue. The ninth pick in the 2009 draft is a career 30.2 percent shooter from deep, and he has never been eager to change that part of his game. He has averaged more than two 3-point attempts per game in only four of his 17 seasons, and more than three attempts per game just twice.
At this stage, that’s not likely to change. As he heads toward what could be his final NBA season, the 3-point volume probably isn’t coming with him. He also has never been a strong defender, and his best work comes as an isolation scorer - a skill that doesn’t carry the same value now as it once did.
That’s the lesson Bulls fans already know: DeRozan can help a team, but his game comes with drawbacks.
In Other News...
Bulls Front Office Has Fans Asking If A Real Direction Finally Exists
The Bulls front office got a little more respect in CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinns latest offseason rankings, landing higher than the bottom-tier spots it had occupied before. Chicago has tried to reshape its decision-making structure this summer, moving on from Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley and putting Bryson Graham in charge as the new general manager, a notable shift for a team that has spent too long searching for clarity.
There are signs the new setup is at least trying to be more proactive, with the Norman Powell signing and the additions of Zach Collins and Nic Claxton drawing some attention. Still, the bigger question around the Bulls is whether those moves add up to an actual direction or just another batch of isolated decisions, and that judgment will have to come from what happens next. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Ownership Debate Just Got More Complicated
The latest major ownership shake-up around the NBA arrived in Minnesota, where Marc Lore has sold his controlling stake in the Timberwolves to businessman Marc Stad. Stad is set to become the teams controlling owner and largest shareholder, with Alex Rodriguez remaining as a co-owner and Stad also taking a majority stake in the Lynx. It is the kind of transaction that keeps the leagues ownership market buzzing, especially after the recent blockbuster sales of the Lakers and Celtics.
For Bulls fans, the timing adds another layer to a familiar conversation about what comes next on the business side of the franchise. Chicago already has an intriguing ownership backdrop with Lukas and Samantha Walton holding a minority stake in the team and the United Center, and moves like this only sharpen the focus on how much value is sitting in and around NBA assets right now. The leagues latest sale cycle is making that discussion harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Rebuild Comes With A Timeline Fans May Hate
The Bulls have already spent much of the last year reshaping the organization, with changes in the front office, coaching staff and roster all aimed at pulling the franchise out of its holding pattern. But a recent long-view projection from Stephen Noh of The Sporting News suggests the patience required in Chicago may still be measured in seasons, not months, even if the early signs of a reset are finally in place.
Nohs outlook points to a team that could eventually climb back into the playoff mix, but only after more roster building and another major round of flexibility arrives in 2027. The idea is that Chicago would still be waiting to turn that groundwork into something more stable by the end of the decade, with a younger core and enough resources to keep adding around it. [Read more 🡒]