Chicago Bulls flip the script with huge DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade

Monday night when NBA free agency opened up, the Chicago Bulls flew out of the gates running. Vice President Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley went to work in a hurry.

To get things going almost immediately as the bell rang at 5pm CST, the Bulls agreed to a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, sending point guard Lonzo Ball to Chicago. After bringing in Alex Caruso and netting themselves a trade exception by dealing Daniel Theis to the Houston Rockets, the Bulls were in prime position for another move.

Day 2 began with Bulls fans knowing that coveted trade exception could land a player like DeMar DeRozan, who was an unrestricted free agent coming off a few years with the San Antonio Spurs. The sign-and-trade has been a popular move this offseason and teams have made great use of it. This was yet another opportunity for the Bulls, and Karnisovas took full advantage.

Tuesday afternoon, the Bulls agreed on a massive deal with the Spurs which saw DeRozan sign with Chicago. The Bulls sent forwards Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu to San Antonio, along with a future first rounder and a pair of future seconds.

The DeMar DeRozan deal ensures these Chicago Bulls are serious about winning a championship.

This was a monster deal, not based off of the return to San Antonio but because of how much it means to Bulls fans everywhere. For the first offseason in over a decade, fans can look forward to winning basketball. For the first time in nearly two decades, fans can appreciate having an aggressive front office that cares about winning basketball.

The two underlying wins, here, are pretty incredible. The Bulls’ first-round pick that goes to San Antonio will be sent no sooner than 2025, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. By then, there’s no chance the Bulls’ pick will mean much to the Spurs. If all goes according to plan, the Bulls will be picking far outside the lottery at that time.

Secondly, the Spurs took on the salary of Aminu, which added up to $10.2 million for this season. Young’s salary was a similar $10 million as well, but getting Aminu off the books was a crafty move by Karnisovas and Eversley.

Speaking of Eversley, his time with DeRozan in Toronto certainly helped the Bulls in their quest to sign the 31-year-old wing.

DeRozan may just be one of the most underrated players in the league today, mostly because he’s never played on a championship team. The Spurs have been less than competent since their legends broke up, but DeRozan has still put up strong lines.

Last year, DeRozan averaged roughly 21 points per game, nearly 7.0 assists and shot the ball at a 50 percent clip.

These are not your Gar Forman and John Paxson-led Bulls, folks. The script has been flipped and Chicago can get genuinely excited about Bulls basketball once again.