DeRozan wants to stay with Bulls, cites 'unfinished business'

With his potential final foray as a free agent on the horizon, DeMar DeRozan would be happy to remain with the Chicago Bulls next season.

"It's definitely somewhere I'd like to return to," DeRozan told former teammate Lou Williams on the "Run It Back" show. "I think more so than anybody. When the job ain't done with me, Lou, no matter how tough the situation may look, I'm one of those guys that tries to stick it through and try to make something out of nothing.

"The city is great, I love the city. The organization been great, so it's definitely a place I'd love to return to and take care of unfinished business."

DeRozan, 35, can speak with all 30 teams once the league-wide free-agency window opens on June 30. The veteran forward has navigated free agency twice. He was briefly a free agent in the summer of 2016 but almost immediately agreed to a five-year deal to remain with the Toronto Raptors. Following his 2019 trade to the San Antonio Spurs, he again became a free agent in 2021, leading to the Bulls acquiring him on a three-year, $85-million deal via a sign-and-trade.

Teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents beginning the day after the last game of the NBA Finals, meaning DeRozan could re-sign with the Bulls before hearing from any other franchise.

The three-time All-NBA selection has put up 25.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game over three seasons in Chicago. Since DeRozan's arrival in the Windy City, the Bulls have only won one playoff contest: Game 2 of a five-game first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. They failed to reach that stage in the two seasons that followed as injuries sidelined their core personnel, including Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams.