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MILWAUKEE — DeMar DeRozan would trade the honor for a victory.

But DeRozan became the only player besides Michael Jordan in Chicago Bulls franchise history to post at least 40 points and 10 assists in Monday’s overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

DeRozan finished with a season-high 41 points and 11 assists. It’s DeRozan’s third game over the last four with double-digit assits.

“Anything with Michael Jordan in it is a helluva accomplishment,” DeRozan said. “I never take none of that for granted.”

Jordan being Jordan, he of course performed the feat nine times. The last time came on Dec. 23, 1992 against the Washington Wizards. So it’s 31 years between Jordan and DeRozan authoring such stat lines.

DeRozan also forced overtime with his floater in the waning seconds of regulation.

But DeRozan saved his highest praise for Coby White, who continued his recent strong stretch with six 3-pointers and a season-high 33 points.

“Amazing,” DeRozan said. “He can do more too. I’m just happy people are starting to see how talented and how much of a competitor he is. I worked out with him all summer. Just to see how much he wants it, how much he asks questions, how humble he is about the approach. It’s amazing to be his teammate and see his growth.”

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DeMar DeRozan is 53 points away from catching his latest legend—Clyde Drexler—on the all-time scoring list.

But it’s DeRozan’s passing ability that has stood out in the team’s four-game win streak. After sitting out the first victory, DeRozan has averaged 7.7 assists in the next three victories, including two games with a season-high 10 assists.

“I give him a ton of credit,” coach Billy Donovan said following Sunday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “We had talked a little bit during the offseason. For him, he’s almost in a lot of ways like another point guard out there with his understanding of the game and his vision and how smart he is. And I think he knows there’s going to be attention given to him and can he help facilitate and be quick with his decisions and be aggressive. He’s done a remarkable job getting off the ball, helping us play with good pace, generating good shots for guys.”

DeRozan obviously has the ability get a shot up on any possession he wants. It’s where he’s made his living over his illustrious 15-year career.

But it’s almost as if DeRozan is willingly taking a back seat, at least initially in games, in the Bulls’ resurgence of ball movement. Then, when the game slows down or crunch time begins, he looks to assert more scoring-wise.

“I don’t ever feel like I gotta score 30, 40 points for us to win. Getting everybody else involved and making that a contagious thing early in the game is beneficial for us all,” DeRozan said. “There comes a point in the game where it’s time to slow down and it’s time to get a bucket. That’s where those same guys lean on me to try to make that happen. It’s a feel for us both.

“Those guys know early on, my goal is to get everybody else going, get everybody else feeling comfortable so it’s difficult to guard us. If the game is close and it’s time for me to do my job, I try to do that to the best of my ability.”

Asked what this kind of trust in his teammates does for the team’s collective confidence, Patrick Williams, who has been of the beneficiaries, didn’t hesitate.

“I just think that’s him. He’s had that since Day One. If you look to the beginning of the season, he’s been making these same plays. We weren’t making shots as much as we are now. We knew that was going to change. But he’s always been the guy that if he passes to you, he doesn’t care if you miss or make the shot as long as you shoot it and keep the defense honest. He’ll pass to you again the next time,” Williams said. “That’s why he’s been so good. Defenses have to be honest because they know how unselfish he is.”

The Bulls have climbed out of the basement in assists per game, now ranking 29^th but still with a mere 23.1 per game. That’s a reflection of the poor shooting earlier in the season. But the fact the Bulls have posted a season-high 32 assists in two of the four-game win streak and 23—on a poor shooting night—and 27 in the other two victories indicates how much better things have been.

“There are a lot more actions. It’s not one action, pass and the ball gets stagnant. That was a challenge for us,” Williams said. “There are a lot more pick-and-rolls for me, Coby (White) and Ayo (Dosunmu), a lot more closeouts for us as well.

“Everybody has a feel now of how to play off each other. I think we’re getting that chemistry going. I think backdoor cuts are a direct correlation of chemistry, just locking eyes and kind of knowing.”

And Donovan still believes there’s potential for more growth. Specifically, he wants DeRozan ahead of the ball for hit-ahead passes on defensive possessions that end with a missed shot and DeRozan not rebounding.

“Not that he needs to run to the corner but just ahead of the ball where we can throw it to him in open space. Now we can get his playmaking and his IQ into the game,” Donovan said. “Now he can generate for himself and for others.

“I think he’s also smart enough to understand that he’s not going to be able to do anything without all of us. He keeps everybody engaged because he knows coming down the stretch if they start trapping him and guys are not involved in the game, it’s hard to make shots in those situations. I trust him in terms of his IQ and how he plays the game and his heart to make decisions that are best for the team.”

DeRozan agreed.

“Me getting ahead of the ball, having the ball in my hands, I know the defense is going to collapse to me. And it’s on me to find guys. It’s fun being able to find guys, getting guys confidence. And it makes my job easier,” he said. “I understand there are part of the game where teams are worried about Coby or Pat or Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) and now I can get an easier shot, an easier layup or I can create an opportunity to get to the foul line. It’s just reading the game.

“That’s where the success is coming from. It’s just not one person. It’s all of us. I shot the ball terribly (in San Antonio). But it didn’t matter because everybody else was ready and stepped up.”

As for DeRozan’s opportunities to get to the foul line, it’s not like he’s shooting a poor percentage from there. He’s at 80.3 percent. But he’s career 83.9 percent free-throw shooter and connected at 87.7 and 87.2 percent his first two seasons with the Bulls.

DeRozan is well aware of this.

“Man, it’s terrible. Trust me. I hear it from my daughters every day. My daughters tell me every day, ‘Stop missing free throws. Why are you missing free throws? You told me you wasn’t going to miss free throws.’ The pressure is coming from them,” DeRozan said. “It’s going to change. Over the last couple years, I pride myself to shoot above 86 percent from the line. It’s just one of those bad stretches.”

DeRozan’s routine of returning to the Advocate Center at night may make sure of that.

“When I come back to shoot at night, I always gotta make 100 free throw before I leave the gym. A lot of times, I don’t count the ones that hit the rim,” DeRozan said. “It’s more so me putting pressure on myself to be perfect instead of just shooting them. But it ain’t gonna last.”

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The king of the midrange and fundamentals, rarely does DeRozan struggle like he has to start this season. Through 15 games thus far, DeRozan is averaging 21.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest. But that’s not where the rough patches lie.

His shooting splits are 44.3/35.1/81.3, all of which are below his career averages except his 3-point percentage, which has been quite impressive for his standard this season. To make matters worse, his true shooting percentage for players who average over 20 points per game is the second-worst mark in the league, according to StatMuse.

This season, DeRozan is working with a 53.9% true shooting percentage. That’s nearly two percentage points under his career average and well below the 59% and 59.2% he finished with in his first two seasons with the Bulls.

Don’t know what true shooting percentage is?

Here’s how John Cragen explained true shooting percentage in 2021: “Think of it this way: TS% assesses how well your player performs any time one of his possessions ends in a shot attempt (including free throws).”

Here’s the formula: TS% = Points(1/2) / FGA + .475 FTA

In essence, it gives you a lens into how a player performs in the totality of the floor from an efficiency standpoint, encompassing all facets of shooting metrics. For simplicity, DeRozan is struggling to shoot efficiently from the floor.

Why? That’s where the real question lies.

But it’s clear the struggles — individual and team — are both frustrating DeRozan. Here’s what he said after Friday night’s loss against his former team, the Toronto Raptors.

“I can’t fake it. I’m beyond frustrated. And I think it’s rightfully so as a competitor,” DeRozan said. “Everybody in this locker room is frustrated. It’s from a good place of being a competitor and wanting to figure it out that badly. Put a couple of wins together. I really truly believe that can shift everything for us.

“We gotta challenge ourselves. We can’t have those spiritual talks. We gotta challenge each other to leave it all the way out there,” DeRozan said. “That’s a good thing to be challenged. Ask something of yourself more than you ever have at this point, myself included. That’s where we’re at.”

The Bulls have found themselves in an extremely difficult spot. Now 5-12, they have the third-worst record in the entire Eastern Conference. On Friday, they were eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, standing 0-3 in group play.

Where do the Bulls go from here?

“There’s enough here. It’s just about finding that right combination for it to hit on all cylinders consistently,” DeRozan said. “It just seems like we’re kind of all over the place. We’ve showed spurts. We gotta figure it out. It sucks. It’s frustrating. We all hate losing. We hate being in the position we’re in, digging ourselves a hole. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We have to figure it out.

“We can do it. That’s why I’m so frustrated. It’s not like we’re playing against the ’96 Bulls every single night. We can compete with and beat anybody. It’s just a matter of from the tip ball to end, playing the right way, putting the IQ in the game, understanding what we need to do and how hard we need to do it. We gotta figure it out.”

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TORONTO — On a night he agreed is perhaps his low point of his Chicago Bulls tenure, DeMar DeRozan drew his second technical foul and an ejection with 1 second left in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan took exception to Pascal Siakam attempting a 3-point shot with 3 seconds left and the Raptors leading by 12 points when Siakam could’ve dribbled out the clock. DeRozan angrily chastised the Raptors bench and coach Darko Rajakovic, who told coach Billy Donovan that Siakam attempted the shot because point differential matters for In-Season Tournament ramifications.

The Raptors actually had been eliminated from In-Season Tournament advancement before the game, but apparently, word didn’t get to Rajakovic and Siakam. There’s an unwritten code in the NBA that teams leading late in games either take a shot-clock violation or dribble out the clock if the possession begins with fewer than 24 seconds, as the Raptors’ possession did.

“I don’t care about no In-Season Tournament points, none of that. Just respect for the game,” DeRozan said. “If the roles was flip-flopped and I had the ball, hold it. It is what it is.”

Asked if he could share what he said to the Raptors bench, DeRozan said no. Asked if there’s a clean version of what he said, DeRozan said no again.

“I mean, I knew that (they were eliminated),” DeRozan said. “But I didn’t care about that either. Just everybody was yelling at him, ‘Score, score, score.’ Take the win. Get out of here. Like I said, if roles were reversed, needing In-Season Tournament points or not, just for the respect I have for my opponents, I hold the ball. Especially if there’s no shot clock. That’s just me.”

On his way off the court, DeRozan shared a hug with his former boss in Masai Ujiri, who watches games from the tunnel, and also tore off his jersey. It was the second thing DeRozan tore in frustration on Friday, ripping a towel during a timeout on the bench.

“I can’t fake it. I’m beyond frustrated. And I think it’s rightfully so as a competitor,” DeRozan said. “Everybody in this locker room is frustrated. It’s from a good place of being a competitor and wanting to figure it out that badly. Put a couple wins together. I really truly believe that can shift everything for us.”

The Bulls once again endured a slow start. They have led after just three of 17 first quarters and trailed by double digits in the first quarter for the fourth time already this season.

“We gotta challenge ourself. We can’t have those spiritual talks. We gotta challenge each other to leave it all the way out there,” DeRozan said. “That’s a good thing to be challenged. Ask something of yourself more than you ever have at this point, myself included. That’s where we’re at.”

Indeed, the Bulls are 5-12 and in danger of a lost season already. They have lost three straight and six of seven. A season that began with such high hopes internally is already almost on life support.

“The true standard of a person is who they become when adversity hits. We gotta stay positive, find some type of positivity. But it is frustrating losing and we have opportunities and it’s self-inflicted. It’s beyond frustrating,” DeRozan said. “Sleep on it. It’s going to be a long night. Got a day (Saturday) to dwell on it again. It’s all about how you respond.

“There’s enough here. It’s just about finding that right combination for it to hit on all cylinders consistently. It just seems like we’re kind of all over the place. We’ve showed spurts. We gotta figure it out. It sucks. It’s frustrating. We all hate losing. We hate being in the position we’re in, digging ourselves a hole. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We have to figure it out.

“We can do it. That’s why I’m so frustrated. It’s not like we’re playing against the ’96 Bulls every single night. We can compete with and beat anybody. It’s just a matter of from the tip ball to end, playing the right way, putting the IQ in the game, understanding what we need to do and how hard we need to do it. We gotta figure it out.”

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The Los Angeles Lakers will have interest in Zach LaVine if the price is right and, oh by the way, also will monitor the futures of DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.

The Miami Heat may or may not have interest in LaVine, depending on who’s doing the talking. Caruso would look good in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform. And on and on and on.

Welcome to the Chicago Bulls’ new reality. With LaVine not denying he’s open to being moved, rumors and distractions will be part of the new every day norm. Even if plenty of them aren’t on a first-name basis with truth.

And with each future loss or poor performance, questions will come on whether or not LaVine is distracted or committed or if his unresolved situation is hanging over the locker room or causing doubt within it.

“That’s just part of the NBA, man. Trades happen all the time in the NBA. That’s just part of being a professional and being an athlete. It’s something you have to deal with,” Torrey Craig said following Thursday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “We let the business side focus on that. We just try to win games every night and play to the best of our abilities.”

For now, LaVine and his teammates are saying the right things. Craig pointed to the Bulls rallying from 19 points down rather than throwing in the towel to make Wednesday’s loss a one-possession game as an example of LaVine and the team remaining committed to winning.

“Zach came out and made some crucial plays down the stretch to give us a chance to win the game. He hit a couple big 3s. He made the right pass to AC (Caruso) in the corner for a shot. He’s a professional,” Craig said. “He has been around a long time. He knows this is all part of the NBA and what comes with it.”

But what happens if LaVine’s situation drags out and the Bulls keep losing? That will test the collective will and professionalism of all parties involved, especially because the divorce between LaVine and the Bulls feels more like a matter of when, not if.

“I don’t know if that’s necessarily the narrative about him not caring for us and not wanting to be here,’’ Caruso said. “The reports are the reports, and that’s kind of the NBA drama rumor mill that goes on every year and seems to follow the best players in the league wherever they go.

“For us it’s more focus on doing our jobs and trying to come out and play. And obviously if we don’t play well, things don’t go well for the organization. So the big thing for us is to focus on how we can be a better team and win games so nothing happens.’’

Trading Caruso would certainly hurt the Bulls’ ability to win games. Fresh off his first All-Defense team honor, Caruso has been the Bulls’ most impactful player thus far this season.

That’s why a reversal of management’s stance on Caruso would be a surprise. At last February’s trade deadline, the Bulls rebuffed all overtures on Caruso, who is on an extremely team-friendly contract and is held up internally as the type of player who epitomizes the culture the franchise wants to build.

So even if—when?—LaVine is traded, a complete fire sale would be a surprise, although Patrick Williams’ disappointing start could impact his future. Remember: This managerial regime inherited a full rebuild and cashed out on it, trading multiple first-round picks to acquire DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

Management’s publicly stated goal is to make the playoffs. A fire sale flies in the face of that.

But stay tuned. Like everything else about this suddenly turbulent Bulls season, it’s fluid.

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INDIANAPOLIS — DeMar DeRozan long has been a student of the game and fan of NBA history.

So when the 39^th-most prolific scorer in NBA history (44^th if you include combined NBA/ABA statistics) heard he needed just 34 points to pass Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list, DeRozan shook his head.

“I mean, that’s Larry Bird,” DeRozan said. “From a fan perspective, it’s amazing. It’s an honor.”

DeRozan holds NBA legends in high regard and, one day, could take his place alongside them. He is crafting a case for possible enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame whenever his career ends.

But legends isn’t the only “L” word associated with DeRozan. Loyalty is.

In this age of player empowerment and players requesting trades, DeRozan hasn’t got caught up in the business of basketball. He’s playing this season on an expiring contract.

Against that backdrop, DeRozan sat down with NBC Sports Chicago following Monday’s shootaround at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to talk loyalty, longevity and scoring legends of the game.

NBC Sports Chicago: You’ve always said you don’t get involved in contract stuff or the business of basketball. But in this age of player empowerment and players requesting trades or trying to form super teams, that’s not always the route. So where does that stance come from for you?

DeMar DeRozan: Honestly, it just comes from the gratitude of being able to play this game. I don’t ever take it for granted, no matter how much recognition I may get. The older I get and the more mature I become and to still be playing at a high level 15 years in, I just appreciate it all. I’ve had so many friends that were my teammates that didn’t last this long. I’ve had other teammates who were greedy or entitled and felt like everything revolved around them. And next thing you know, you never see them again. With my humble beginnings and where I came from, I’m just happy to be playing. As long as I’m playing, I always feel everything else takes care of itself.

You’ve never been tempted to try to force your way to a preferred situation?

Nah. My whole life, I’ve always been this way: Control what you can control. This may sound cliché, but I’m big on being professional even in the toughest of times. It’s always easy to run away or find an excuse or blame somebody else or whatever. But sticking through something always teaches you a lesson. Some people demand trades or demand certain things and they still don’t get what they want. For me, I just wake up and try to be the best I can be that day and let it translate over.

But what’s your take on this age of player empowerment? I mean, you’re friends or friendly with most everybody in this league. Surely, someone you know or like has been one of those players who took his future in his own hands and tried to get somewhere he wanted to be.

To each his own. And guys who demand trades or get traded, one thing I always ask them: Are you happy? As long as they’re happy, that’s all that matters. A lot of guys have families and they’re looking at it as a bigger picture than basketball, somewhere they can be stable, somewhere they may want to live after they finish playing. I’m not against it at all. I support anything that anybody wants to do that’s better for them. But as for me, I never got caught up into it. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to lay down comfortably if I went somewhere and said, ‘(Expletive) trade me. I’m tired of this.’ That’s just not me. I’m going to compete, be the best version I can be and let it go from there.

Is loyalty important to you?

Once I’m in, I’m in. That’s the type of friend I am. If I call you my friend, I’m in it with you. You can call me in the middle of the night and I’ll walk with you to the grocery store if that’s what you need. That’s just how I view it—fun times, tough times. I’m not just in it for perfection. I’m in it for whatever else comes with it. That’s my mindset and I don’t waver from that.

All that said, how difficult is it playing this season without an extension yet?

I honestly don’t think about it at all. I never have. It doesn’t worry me or stress me out. Again, I control what I can control. And in due time, let it speak for itself.

Have you thought about how long you want to play?

Me having kids it has crossed my mind for the simple fact of you miss so much time. You miss your kids. You want to be there to support your kids and see their activities. As you get older, that perspective comes into play. How much more are you willing to miss? How much more do you have to give to the game? It crosses my mind, especially when I’m with my kids. But I don’t know the answer yet.

You take care of your body. Your game seems the type to age gracefully. Does a 20-season or 20-plus-season career like Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett or Vince Carter hold appeal?

That’s a beautiful mark to get to. Fifteen (seasons) in, another five, six is far down the road. I just take it as it comes, honestly. I tell the young guys now: Enjoy and appreciate it while you’re young because as you get older, your perspective changes. You start to gain more responsibility in life. It gets tougher. Those hotel nights get longer. But me being a fan of the game, man, I never wanted to see Kobe retire. I remember when (Michael) Jordan retired, I just knew he was going to come back even after the Wizards. Being in that position, you want to give the game all you can give.

I’ve talked to you before about your standing on the all-time scoring list. Do you ever check that and see who you have coming up?

Nah, not really. But I did see before this season the amount of people I could pass. It blew my mind.

We’re in Indiana and you’re 33 points from Larry Bird, who scored his 21,791 points in just 897 games because he was cold.

Listen, that’s a player who I watched a whole bunch of film of over the years. And he was a bad man.

So what will passing him mean to you?

I mean, that’s Larry Bird. When I see stuff like that, I have stuff with a lot of my friends about it during the summertime. Like, ‘I got more points than Larry Bird.’ I use it to trash talk for fun. But from a fan perspective, it’s amazing. It’s an honor. Even coming into the league, I never would’ve imagined that. I watched his game. I studied the 70s, 80s and 90s of basketball. And to pass these guys is incredible.

You ever watch Adrian Dantley? He’s about 1,400 points ahead of you and currently 31^st.

Yes. I love his game. That’s where my appreciation for the game comes from, all these guys who came before me. I never take my love for the game for granted.

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There’s no such thing as a must-win game in the first week of the season. But the Chicago Bulls have created a scenario in which must-respond applies to Friday’s home matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

“Getting our (butt) kicked at (the) home opener, that’s a disrespect to us, disrespect to our fans. I just know we won’t let that happen again, at least not from an effort standpoint,” DeMar DeRozan said following Thursday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “We probably will have games where we won’t make shots. It may not be our night. But effort-wise, we could’ve done a lot better. We could’ve executed better.

“My takeaway is how we respond. You can sit up there and have a million conversations about something. But it’s about how you respond and the mindset that I know how everybody came in here (to practice) with, how they feel. That’s how I know for a fact (Friday) will not be like (Wednesday). I can guarantee you that.”

It’s not often guarantees are flowing in the first week of the season. But that’s what happens when you lose the season opener to the Oklahoma City Thunder by 20 points and have that be the third headline behind Nikola Vucevic and Billy Donovan having a heated exchange and a postgame conversation in which players said yes to Donovan’s offer to continuing talking amongst themselves before coaches entered.

“It was a conversation that needed to be had,” Torrey Craig said. “We didn’t come out and play the way we wanted to, especially at home and the first game of the season. We want to set a standard. And we weren’t satisfied. So we addressed it and moved on.

“That’s what good teams need. All good teams have those meetings. And you need it to progress and get better.”

With three games in four nights to start the season, including Saturday’s road opener in Detroit, the Bulls will find out quickly what they’re made of now that they’ve created this must-respond situation. Given that players themselves have talked about this likely being the last opportunity for this core to produce or changes could be made, there’s plenty at stake.

And from Donovan’s perspective, the coach who openly provided details not only of his in-game exchange with Vucevic but the players taking more time to talk among themselves before coaches entered the postgame locker room, Thursday was a productive day.

“The confrontational piece is good. It just is. No one came in here taking it personal, pouting, bad attitude. We watched film, the things about spacing and decision-making. . . . They put the work in. In terms of any lingering carryover from last night, there was none. They got to work and got the job done.”

Now let’s see the response on Friday night.

Donovan is welcoming any and all confrontation because, to him, that represents communication and care factor. He had no problem with the players wanting to talk more by themselves, pointing out that never would’ve happened last season. As he said Wednesday night, he offered that opportunity to the players.

Putting the players conversation into even greater perspective, Coby White went and told Donovan when the players were finished and the coaching staff then entered the locker room.

It’s hard to parse Xs and Os on a night where so much went awry. But the Bulls did tie last season’s high with 42 3-point attempts and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, two points of offseason emphasis. They obviously need to make more than 12 3-pointers, but 19 second-chance points is an improvement.

As for the negatives, offensive spacing and decision-making stood out on film. These were Vucevic’s main points of frustration—not necessarily touches or field-goal attempts but stagnation.

“I definitely get it. None of us take it as a negative. It’s him wanting to do whatever he can to make sure we win. It’s not from a selfish standpoint at all. I can honestly say that,” DeRozan said. “He’s right. I agree with him. We all agree with him. We all have to do a better job with that on down the line with everybody.”

Craig has talked openly about choosing the Bulls in free agency because he felt his competitive edge and ability to have honest, tough conversations with teammates could have significant impact. He quietly had a strong debut with 11 points, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers.

Like DeRozan, he had no issue with Vucevic voicing frustration.

“Being frustrated is part of the game. You’re in the NBA. It’s an emotional sport. It’s an emotional game. Emotions are going to fly,” Craig said. “Some guys play with a lot of emotion. And Vooch is one of those guys. It’s expected when you want to compete at a high level.”

Which the Bulls need to do on Friday night.

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Entering his 15^th season, DeMar DeRozan doesn’t take Opening Night lightly.

“It’s amazing, man, just to think about the longevity, to be able to play this game so long. To still be going, to still love the game, to still have motivation, the passion, everything about it,” he said following Tuesday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “I don’t look at it like I feel old. It’s more so it’s a blessing to still be playing.”

DeRozan, 34, passed the 1,000-game mark last season. His first opener came way back in 2009. Having just turned 20, his Toronto Raptors faced off against LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I was terrified as (expletive). I’m not going to lie to you,” DeRozan said. “I’ll never forget: I was walking out there and it felt really like a dream. And I remember walking on that court like I couldn’t believe I was playing against Shaq. Me being from LA, I watched Shaq my whole life. So to able to step on the same floor as Shaq made it feel so surreal, made it feel like a dream come true. And I think I even got a block that game. I blocked his shot. I just remember being terrified that I couldn’t believe I was in that moment.”

Indeed, DeRozan registered a block on an O’Neal layup attempt in the Raptors’ 10-point victory. With Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon providing the offensive punch, DeRozan took just six shots and scored eight points while finishing a team-high plus-11.

Suffice to say, he’ll play a slightly larger offensive role when the Chicago Bulls face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at the United Center. But the feelings and anticipation remain the same.

“It’s always exciting because that’s the first night of the journey for what’s to come—the good, the bad, the ups and downs, the heartbreak, the wins, the losses, the learning experience,” DeRozan said.

Coby White is set to play in his fifth NBA opener. Asked what he was doing during DeRozan’s NBA debut, the affable White took the bait.

“I was 9 years old,” he said. “So I don’t really remember.”

But White agrees there’s something special about Opening Night.

“There’s a lot of positive energy, positive talk going around,” he said. “Vibes are great. We’re excited.”

For Billy Donovan, the matchup offers an opportunity to face the franchise that lured him from the college coaching ranks. Donovan spent five seasons coaching the Thunder, who now employ Mark Daigneault, whom Donovan hired first at Florida in the college ranks and then again in Oklahoma City.

“I enjoyed my time there and the people I interacted with,” Donovan said.

Opening Night only counts as one game. But DeRozan wants to use it to start building what he hopes the Bulls’ identity will be.

“We have to be resilient. We can’t show bad body language when a quarter isn’t going our way, a play isn’t going our way,” DeRozan said. “We have to be one of those teams that is resilient at home or on the road.”

The journey begins Wednesday.

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DeMar DeRozan used the Chicago Bulls’ final preseason game to make quite the fashion statement.

The Bulls’ All-Star wore a Devin Hester T-shirt with Chicago Bears shorts over leggings. And after the Bulls’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, DeRozan advocated for Hester’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

“He should be in the Hall of Fame in my opinion,” DeRozan said. “Greatest punt returner of all-time. I definitely was a fan growing up of Devin Hester. So I was trying to show a little love to the Bears, that’s all.”

DeRozan said he has never met Hester, who spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons with the Bears and finished with 20 return touchdowns. That included 14 punt return scores.

DeRozan bought the T-shirt online.

“I thought it was cool,” DeRozan said.

DeRozan recently showed off his quarterbacking skills in a widely circulated video on social media from when the Bulls visited the Tennessee Titans’ practice facility during their week in Nashville for training camp. With Justin Fields likely out for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of his dislocated thumb, the Bears are expected to start Tyson Bagent.

Could DeRozan serve as backup?

“I don’t think I’d be able to call any plays,” DeRozan said, laughing. “And I see a linebacker coming down the middle at me, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle that. If I could be out there with the pinny (mesh practice jersey) on where they can’t touch me, I’d do it. But other than that, no chance.”

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But Maggette’s connections with the Bulls began well before that.

Not only did Maggette detail attending his first Bulls game as a kid on the broadcast, but he also shared details from his friendship with All-Star DeMar DeRozan. The relationship began while Maggette starred for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2000-08 and DeRozan grew up in nearby Compton, Calif., before attending USC for the 2008-09 season.

“It was amazing,” DeRozan said when asked what it was like to see Maggette sitting courtside alongside Jason Benetti on the call. “Corey was a vet mentor to me. A lot of people don’t know that. I spent a lot of time with him, man. I was 18, 19, 20 years old in the gym with him, working out every summer, him giving me a lot of drills and more so just pushing me. Being with a veteran guy that early in my career showed me what it was like to be a pro.

“He’s always been such a positive figure for me. He got me to understand a lot, not just with basketball but about life. He got me into cars at an early age.”

Indeed, Maggette on the broadcast shared a tale in which he sold DeRozan a sports car at a nice discount.

“I remember driving two hours to go get it and two hours back home,” DeRozan said, laughing.

DeRozan attempted eight free throws in just 25 minutes during Thursday’s double overtime preseason victory over the Nuggets, victimizing two defenders with his patented pump fake. DeRozan said Maggette, who also was a stellar foul drawer in his prime, helped refine some of his moves.

“He taught me a lot that stuck with me—how to get fouled, how to take advantage of the penalty, using your body,” DeRozan said. “I learned a lot from Corey, for sure. We used to do these shooting drills in the midrange, competing always.”

Maggette averaged over eight free-throw attempts in five straight seasons with the Clippers, including 10 per game in 2004-05.

“We was in the gym every day together,” DeRozan said.

And for those thinking about King, don’t worry: The incomparable analyst posted to his social media account that he’s scheduled back for the Oct. 25 regular-season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside his partner, Adam Amin.

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And in Chicago, the goal is the same as it has been for the past two seasons: continuity. The Bulls notably made marginal upgrades to their roster this offseason in hopes of improving upon the 40-42 season they generated last season. How well can they finish this season, after failing to make the playoffs by way of a play-in loss?

In light of a litany of new rosters/players across the league, here are ESPN’s top 50 player rankings. Two Chicago Bulls players — Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan — found themselves next to each other in the rankings.

LaVine: ESPN ranked No. 38

“ESPN’s 2022 NBA rank: 27

Why he fell 11 spots: LaVine was not himself at the start of last season after undergoing offseason knee surgery and did not play with the same offensive punch for most of the first half. But he picked it up after the All-Star break, averaging 27-5-4 down the stretch to get the Bulls into the play-in tournament.”

DeRozan: ESPN ranked No. 39

“ESPN’s 2022 NBA rank: 28

Why he fell 11 spots: It would have been hard for DeRozan to follow up on a career year during his first season in Chicago, but DeRozan was still an All-Star in his second season with the Bulls. However, the Bulls did not win at the same level as they did two seasons ago.

One huge question for his season: DeRozan is entering the final season of his contract with the Bulls, although both he and the team have expressed interest in an extension. However, if the Bulls do not have more success this season after missing the playoffs in 2022-23, will DeRozan’s tenure in Chicago continue?”

Only 100-11 players were ranked and listed for ESPN.

On that list included two former Bulls: Jimmy Butler, who finished No. 12, and Lauri Markkanen, who finished No. 28 in the rankings. Butler remains with the Heat and Markkanen is going into his second season with the Utah Jazz.

From the 100-51 list, Nikola Vucevic found his way in the rankings, finishing as the No. 75 best player.

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The players were “inspired” by the Bears’ win on Thursday night over the Commanders. In the football spirit, they visited the Tennessee Titans’ indoor field to toss the pigskin around.

Here are some of the videos the Bulls posted from the day, including DeMar DeRozan’s impeccable arm.

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He made that clear Monday amid questions about the ongoing negotiations regarding a possible contract extension with the Chicago Bulls.

“My agent. He deals with that. I tell him to leave me the hell alone so I can focus on my five kids and my regular-day life,” DeRozan said. “I’m not kidding you. I really try not to focus on that or deal with that. I let them handle whatever needs to be handled from that standpoint. If I get a call about something being something, then I go from there.”

With his previous three-year deal expiring next offseason, the star forward is eligible for a four-year extension worth roughly $179 million.

It’s a storyline that will loom over Bulls management as the organization makes a crucial decision about the team’s direction.

From DeRozan’s viewpoint, his situation this season is the same as always. It’s a blessing.

“To be honest with you, as cliché as it may sound, I really don’t wake up or go to sleep with that on my mind,” DeRozan said when asked about his future with the team. “Every day, I wake up with the opportunity to know I can walk on my feet. I’m thankful, I’m grateful for those moments. From there on out, I just try to push forward. When I come to work and step on this basketball court, I just appreciate the opportunity to still play. Just like when I was kid, to be honest with you. I wish I had something cooler to say, but I’m just happy to be able to play and put on an NBA jersey, to be honest with you.”

DeRozan has never been one to rock to boat. He’s not interested in talking money, asking for trades or involving himself in the business side of things. His singular focus on playing basketball is what’s allowed him to perform at such a high-level in the latter stage of his career.

“It all comes from the love of the game,” he said. “I just love basketball so much, the joy that it brings, being around the guys – the drive that they give me. I don’t take not one moment of this for granted, to be honest with you. And the moment I feel that slipping in any type of way, if I wake up like, ‘I ain’t feel like working out today,’ if I have two or three days consisting of that, that’s when I know my love is kind of winding down and it’s time for me to just sit my ass at home.”

Artūras Karnišovas, executive vice president of the Bulls, confirmed that DeRozan’s contract negotiations are ongoing.

“The one thing I’m going to say is we love DeMar,” he said. “The last two years have been unbelievable for us. Two-time All-Star. Second team All-NBA. He loves Chicago. Chicago loves him back. I’m very excited for this for DeMar.”

“The goal at the end of the day is wanting to win,” DeRozan said. “I look at it from both sides. It’s just got to be a perfect balance for both of us, It’s just got to make sense. That’s how I take the approach about it. It’s all about understanding what we can do to win.

“Obviously, [Chicago] is a place I want to be. It’s a great place. So we take that out of the equation. It’s just working out whatever makes sense for both sides. And I just control what I can control.”

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The days leading up to the start of NBA training camp featured the Milwaukee Bucks adding Damian Lillard and the Boston Celtics nabbing Jrue Holiday, making the Eastern Conference race top-heavy.

But don’t tell that to Chicago Bulls newcomer Jevon Carter.

“Thoughts on Milwaukee and Boston? I don’t really care. I’m a Chicago Bull,” Carter said Monday at the Advocate Center. “I’m not really thinking about Boston or Milwaukee.”

That was the pervading mantra from Bulls’ media day. Following an offseason in which management tripled down on its core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls are focused on internal improvement and believe they have what it takes to make some noise.

“Everybody’s 0-0 right now,” LaVine said. “Obviously, they made some big trade acquisitions, added high-level guards. Obviously, everything looks good on paper. But we put the work in. If you don’t believe in your group or your guys, you shouldn’t show up.

“I’m looking very much forward to this training camp, us getting off to a good start. Because it’s a big season for a lot of people.”

Indeed, executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas even talked about this core’s performance impacting whether or not ownership moving forward enters luxury tax territory, a penalty that Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf only have paid once in franchise history.

“I think we’re at the point where we’re going to go into the luxury tax if we’re confirming this is the group. I think this is just giving more time for this group to figure it out. And I think once you have consistent success, you can go for it,” Karnišovas said. “In all my conversations with Jerry and Michael, obviously they have no problem going into it. But we have to make sure it’s the right group. I believe in them. I have faith in them going into this season. We’ll see how the season plays out.”

To improve on last season’s underwhelming 40-42 season which featured the Bulls beating the Toronto Raptors but losing to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the play-in tournament, the Bulls must improve their 24th-ranked offense. Adding Carter, who, coincidentally, arrived from the Bucks, and Torrey Craig should help the Bulls’ 3-point attack, which ranked last in the NBA last season.

But the Bulls’ offensive goals move beyond just improving their 3-point shooting.

“We’re looking to play faster,” Karnišovas said. “We’re going to try and move the ball better.”

And so playing in transition and utilizing quick decision-making with more paint attacks in halfcourt settings are focal points.

LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic each had strong seasons individually last season, but it didn’t translate to a high-powered offense or victories.

“How do you have three guys at that level offensively and look at the fact that we’re 24^th on offense? We shot the ball 11^th best of anyone in the league, our effective field goal percentage was good. The key for us was we did not get to the free-throw line. We were 24^th or 25^th there. And the other part of it was we didn’t have many opportunities to offensive rebound,” coach Billy Donovan said. “And the shot profile, to me it’s less about taking more 3s as much as it is how you generate them. Our biggest challenge with this group is we’ve got to get into the paint.

“We’ve got to do a better job spacing, a better job attacking the paint. Because about 85 percent of your fouls are taking place inside the paint. It’s the best opportunity to offensive rebound on those shots. And then the third thing is those are where you get kick-out 3s. I think that’s got to be a real focus for us.”

Another offensive wrinkle could be utilizing Vucevic as an offensive hub, taking full advantage of his passing skills.

“That was a big thing for me. It was finding ways to utilize me more,” Vucevic said about conversations that informed his decision to re-sign before hitting free agency. “Not so much only for me shooting the ball and scoring but using my playmaking ability to help the team in different ways.

“I think we can see a lot more teams do it and do it at a high level. Obviously you have Denver with (Nikola) Jokić. You have Miami with Bam (Adebayo). Teams like that that use their big man a lot as a playmaker. And I think we also have a team that can function that way, obviously with me and all the guards that we have who can play off the ball. It could make life a lot easier for a lot of our guys.

“I think last year also we were thinking, ‘When Lonzo (Ball) comes back, it’ll be different.’ I think this year we have a clear picture obviously he’s not going to be back and we have to find other ways to run our offense without putting so much pressure on Zach and DeMar handling the ball and scoring, doing everything. So it’s a lot of conversations I had with Billy before I signed and after I signed about what they were thinking and how I could be utilized and where we could do a lot of stuff I like. I think there’s a lot of different options we could do where I could become a playmaker. That could help a lot.”

DeRozan played for a Raptors franchise that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a team that largely stayed intact. So he has seen the continuity route pay dividends. And as the Bulls head to Nashville, Tenn., for the start of training, he is excited for the potential.

“I hate dwelling about the past about anything, but that continuity goes so, so far. You know, sometimes you’ve got to fail as a group to understand what it takes to even win as a group,” he said. “Sometimes you gotta hit the wall hard with a group to understand we are all going to help one another back up.

“And for me, even going out to Nashville and just locking in, getting away from being in the city, where it’s just us, really gaining that camaraderie, the chemistry, the understanding of what it takes, what we need to do by knowing how much we failed last year and the things  that put us in a place that, you know, we have to play for a play-in game. We got to go into training camp with that on our heart and we can leave out of there with much more continuity than we had before. That’s the one thing that always put me in a position to have success with a team was that continuity.”

The Bucks adding Lillard to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Celtics transforming their team with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis complementing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown make them the prohibitive Eastern Conference favorites. DeRozan is ready.

“I love it. I love it. The competition level should want to bring the best out of you and want to compete against that. That’s how I look at it,” he said. “And that’s one thing I express to the guys. When you see that, you gotta get more hungry, understanding you want to go against those big teams like that and compete. That should bring the best out of you every single night.”

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The Chicago Bulls gather for media day on Monday before flying to Nashville, Tenn., for their first week of training camp.

Plenty of questions and storylines surround any NBA team. The Bulls are no exception.

Here are four related to on-the-court matters and not, say, whether or not DeMar DeRozan will be extended:

Will the offense improve?

If followers of the team had a dollar for every time somebody said “how can a team with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević finish 24^th in offensive rating?” then those people might be as rich as those highly-paid players. Who command their salaries in large part for their ability to put the ball in the basket.

So how did the Bulls finish 24^th in offense? And how can they be better?

It’s well documented the Bulls represented the only NBA team that didn’t attempt at least 30 3-pointers per game last season. So part of the offensive issue is a simple math problem. In too many games, the Bulls made a similar amount of field goals as their opponent, only to lose the 3-point battle.

But it won’t just be adding Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig via free agency and letting 3-pointers fly. In general, look for the offensive philosophy to be tweaked. Sure, there will be moments where hero ball is needed, particularly in crunch time when the game slows. DeRozan’s midrange magic will still have a role.

But look for the Bulls to try to play faster in transition and attack the paint in the halfcourt, leading to spray-out passes for 3-point shots.

Beyond that, Vučević’s passing and shooting ability likely will be used more as an offensive hub, where he works at the elbow with players cutting off him. Sacramento utilizes Domantas Sabonis in similar sets.

And don’t be surprised to see DeRozan’s scoring take a small dip and his assists average rise, a la his San Antonio Spurs days.

The Bulls also ranked 26^th in free-throw attempts and must get to the line more. This is tied into the desire by the coaching staff to see more paint attacks.

Can the defense hold steady?

When a team desires to play faster offensively and attempt to take more 3-pointers, one potentially negative byproduct can be placing more pressure on the defense.

Beyond a solid coaching scheme and effort and execution from the players, one reason the Bulls fielded a top-five defense last season is they had the opportunity to set their defense so frequently. Their offensive attack and lack of offensive rebounding often led to strong floor balance and solid defensive transition.

Can they keep that up in light of their new desired offensive approach?

Carter and Craig arrive with stellar defensive reputations. Caruso, who earned his first All-Defensive spot, isn’t going anywhere. Billy Donovan never seems to get enough credit for his defensive acumen. He now has coached five top-10 defenses in his eight years in the NBA.

If the Bulls can improve their offense and have their defense either even or only slightly below last season, good things could be in store.

Is this the season Patrick Williams breaks out?

If followers of the team had a dollar for every time somebody said, “is this the season Patrick Williams . . .” Oh wait, we already used that cliché.

But Williams’ potential contrasted with his bouts with passiveness stretch all the adjectives. On a guard-heavy roster, Williams must produce.

It’s telling that, in separate interviews, management figures essentially placed the onus for this season on Williams.

“I think it’s a really important year for Patrick, one as a player and two in our locker room to kind of complement (the core),” general manager Marc Eversley said in August during an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “We’ve talked a lot about people fitting in with (LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic). I think Patrick is going to be challenged with the same thing. But I think this year is the year where he really needs to step it up and figure it out.

“You talked about his 3-point shooting, up over 40 percent. He has shown flashes over the first three years. I want to see him show more instances of flashes, more consistency. He’s got it in him. A lot of that comes with growth off the court. And he’s starting to grow. He’s starting to get it. It’s starting to click. And when he puts it together, we might have something special.”

Williams played well in a reserve role after Donovan inserted Patrick Beverley and Caruso into the starting lineup after the All-Star break. Regardless his role, Williams needs to continue his growth as a two-way player and improve his rebounding.

Who will start?

In an appearance on WSCR-AM 670, Eversley and Artūras Karnišovas said point guard will be an open competition between Carter, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.

LaVine, DeRozan and Vučević are locks.

At power forward, Williams, Craig and Caruso are in the mix.

Assuming health, all of these players save for perhaps Dosunmu project to log heavy rotational minutes. The thing about Dosunmu is: Every time he seems to be counted out, he keeps coming at you. He’s relentless.

But Donovan and his coaching staff are loaded at guard and must find minutes for Carter, White, LaVine and Caruso, although the Bulls have used Caruso at power forward in the past.

The closing lineup may be more intriguing than the starting lineup. The Bulls possess a solid, 10-man rotation in Carter, LaVine, DeRozan, Williams, Vučević, Caruso, White, Craig, Dosunmu and Andre Drummond.

A big reason why the Bulls dropped from 46 to 40 wins last season is because of their poor record in clutch games, a contest that’s within five points with 5 minutes to play. They dropped from a 25-16 mark in 2021-22 in such games to 15-23 last season.

So Donovan’s closing lineup beyond LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic will be intriguing.

Every season is intriguing in its own fashion. Let the storylines begin to play out on Monday.

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The majority is clamoring for the Bulls to give up on the roster they built and polished during the summer of 2021. But management has preached “continuity” and their belief that this core can achieve what they expect from them.

That frame of mind resonates with the players, too.

What about those who suggest the Bulls start rebuilding?

“I think a lot of people who say that or suggest that really don’t understand basketball at all, in my opinion,” DeMar DeRozan told Sportskeeda. “You can think that’s an answer or that’s a route. But there’s no telling how long that route is going to even last. That route doesn’t necessarily always work in a timely fashion that you may think it will take. With that, it’s hard to find and create talented players like the players that we already have assembled. We made a lot of mistakes. It’s not only on the players, but the coaching staff as well to be able to correct the mistakes that we have because we weren’t far off at all with the mistakes that we’ve had.

“If we correct those, give us back the 10 to 15 games that we should’ve had last season. That changes the whole dynamic of everything. It’s always easy when something goes bad just to say, ‘Scratch it.’ But you really don’t know where you’ll end up from there. So when I hear people say that, it lets me know and understand that they don’t understand basketball at all. From my standpoint, you just control what you can control. That’s going out there, working your butt off, being a leader and understanding what needs to be corrected and go from there.”

Last season, the Bulls finished with a lowly 40-42 record during the regular season. That marked over 10 fewer wins they racked up the season prior. Even then, during the 2021-22 season, the Milwaukee Bucks showed them they don’t belong on the same level as top teams in the league, smoking them 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.

It went downhill from there last season. They failed to make it to the playoffs, losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Play-In tournament.

Surprisingly, the Bulls finished as the eighth-best defense in the NBA. On offense, it was a whole other story. They finished with the eight-worst offense in the league.

Injuries have hampered their play, certainly. Lonzo Ball’s prolonged absence and nebulous return haven’t made things easier. The Bulls, unequivocally, were a far better team with Ball running point than without. This season, the Bulls will host a competition for the starting point guard position.

Even so, DeRozan believes he knows the root of the team’s issues last season.

“It’s just being more in tune offensively and defensively than we were last season,” DeRozan said. “We had a lot of great moments. But we didn’t sustain those great moments. Once we understand the sustainability with what it takes to win, that will make us better. We have what it takes. It’s just about understanding and knowing we have to do things to sustain a winning culture. Once we implement that, we’ll be much better.”

The Bulls’ front office has shown their belief in the core through their actions. During the prior offseason, they signed Zach LaVine to a max contract worth $215 million over five seasons. He’s going into his second season on that deal. This offseason, they extended Nikola Vucevic to a three-year contract. DeRozan has one more season on his contract, but he expressed his interest in staying with the Bulls for the rest of his career.

They upgraded the margins, too, signing Jevon Carter — who will compete to become the team’s starting point guard — and Torrey Craig. Both are excellent 3-point shooters with elite defensive attributes. The Bulls were arguably one of the worst 3-point-shooting teams last season, garnering the lowest percentage of points from shots behind the arc (27.5%).

It’s a pivotal season for the Bulls. It could be their last chance at salvaging the core they’ve kept together despite the loud outside chants to disband it. But that hasn’t wavered DeRozan’s belief in the team.

“I think we can accomplish it all,” DeRozan said. “From a lot of mistakes we had and ups and downs last season, it’s about understanding that and knowing how to correct that. That will make us even better than we were last season. We were pretty good, but we were too inconsistent. I think addressing a lot of the flaws that we had last season come next week in training camp will be the start of that. How much we correct that will determine how good we can be. I definitely think we can be extremely good.”

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“That’s a place I want to be and end my career,” DeRozan said. “I want to be able to accomplish everything I’ve set out to accomplish. That’s all I can worry about and control. I have the utmost confidence in myself.

“I’ll let my agent and the organization deal with that side of things, to be honest man. From their standpoint, they want me to be there long-term and vice versa. We’ll see what happens from there.”

Barring an unexpected move, the Chicago Bulls’ roster is set as they head into training camp next week.

But management’s work never ends, and DeMar DeRozan is eligible for a contract extension.

“His first two years here, he’s been terrific. He’s been probably one or two of our best players, All-NBA. He continues to work at a rate that you would want a veteran to work at,” general manager Marc Eversley said last month during an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “We talked to him (in August)—(coach) Billy (Donovan), AK (executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas) and I—just about the season, the outlook, what are our goals and what we’re looking to accomplish. He’s completely aligned with what we want to do.

“He’s the ultimate leader, the ultimate teammate. He takes all the young guys under his wing. He’s been terrific.”

DeRozan is eligible for a four-year extension worth roughly $179 million. Given that he has outplayed his current deal on the court and represented the Bulls so professionally off it, his agent, Aaron Goodwin, would certainly be reasonable asking for that max.

Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson recently examined whether or not signing DeRozan to an extension is in the Bulls’ best interest. Regardless, this is not the first time DeRozan has expressed a long-term commitment to the Bulls organization.

“Man, Chicago’s been everything for me, honestly. I can’t even find the words of appreciation and love that this organization and these fans have given to me. Just allowing me to be me, allowing me to be the person I always knew I was career-wise and embracing it. It’s been amazing,” DeRozan said after the season ended. “It’s a hell of a story especially with the route I took being in San Antonio three years. Coming here and just kind of helping this organization and this city get back on the map.”

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The NBA Board of Governors on Wednesday passed a Player Participation Policy, aimed to limit excessive load management and ensure star players appear in nationally televised and in-season tournament games.

To which Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic collectively shrugged—symbolically, of course. The Bulls’ current and former All-Stars, collectively, long have yawned at the idea of load management.

“I hate missing games,” DeRozan said during the 2021-22 season after a late-season game in which, indeed, the coaching staff finally convinced him to take off one game.

Vucevic is coming off playing all 82 games for the first time in his 12-year career but has played 73 or more games six times.

DeRozan has two 82-game seasons, one 80-game and 10 seasons of at least 74 games over his 14-game career.

And LaVine not only played through a knee injury during a contract season in 2021-22 but played a career-high 2,768 minutes over 77 games last season and didn’t miss a game from November to April following an early-season maintenance plan to address his offseason left knee surgery.

You can dissect the pros and cons of the Bulls’ Big Three from sunup to sundown. But the trio scores unassailably high marks for availability and desire to play.

“I’ve missed enough games already,” LaVine said early in his Bulls’ tenure.

This is a nod to LaVine overcoming a February 2017 left ACL tear, which made his decision to play through his nagging left knee pain—during a 2021-22 contract season—as the Bulls chased their first playoff berth in five years all the more admirable.

DeRozan, who turned 34 last month, actually qualifies for one exception and almost two because of his age and career workload. While he by one year misses the exception of being 35 on opening night, his 1,031 career games and 35.471 career minutes allow him to receive a pre-approved miss of a back-to-back game as long as the Bulls apply a week prior to the game.

But given how much DeRozan resisted the organization’s attempts to get him to take one game off late in the 2021-22 season until he finally acquiesced, it’s a safe bet this loophole goes unused. DeRozan also played through a nagging thigh injury last season.

The NBA already had instituted a minimum games played requirement for players to be eligible for most valuable player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player or All-Defensive team honors. Players need to appear in at least 65 games or have played in at least 62 and 85 percent of his team’s games before suffering a season-ending injury.

So participation and curbing the practice of star players missing games is top of mind in the league offices.

Last season, Luka Dončić missed the Dallas Mavericks’ lone trip to the United Center with a strained right quadriceps, leaving a wake of crestfallen fans wearing his jersey disappointed. While Dončić’s minor injury would’ve precluded this new policy from applying to him, seeing those disappointed fans is a reminder of the impact these stars can have.

It’s what made Michael Jordan’s awareness so great. He wouldn’t even take off preseason games, some played in remote, neutral sites, because he understood the obligation of appearing for fans.

That was a different era, one where star players routinely logged 82-game seasons. In this era of load management, the approach of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic should be lauded.

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Training camp begins next month. Barring an unexpected move, the Chicago Bulls’ roster is set.

But management’s work never ends.

And DeMar DeRozan is eligible for a contract extension.

“His first two years here, he’s been terrific. He’s been probably one or two of our best players, All-NBA. He continues to work at a rate that you would want a veteran to work at,” general manager Marc Eversley said last month during an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “We talked to him (in August)—(coach) Billy (Donovan), AK (executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas) and I—just about the season, the outlook, what are our goals and what we’re looking to accomplish. He’s completely aligned with what we want to do.

“He’s the ultimate leader, the ultimate teammate. He takes all the young guys under his wing. He’s been terrific.”

So how much is that worth? And is re-signing DeRozan the most prudent path forward for the organization?

Whether or not the Bulls overpaid to acquire DeRozan, parting with draft capital on top of signing him to a three-year, $82 million deal, it’s indisputable that DeRozan’s play has made the financial part of the contract reasonable.

DeRozan has averaged 26.2 points, 5 assists and 4.9 rebounds over his two seasons in Chicago. He has made two All-Star teams and earned one All-NBA designation. He has shot 50.4 percent and proved durable, playing in 150 games, all starts.

Beyond numbers, his quiet leadership and ability to take young players under his wing has resonated throughout the organization. Having turned 34 last month, his work ethic and old-school, midrange game suggest his NBA life will age gracefully.

From his perspective, coming to the Bulls after a much-publicized dalliance with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers didn’t pan out has served as a renaissance for his potential Hall of Fame career.

“Man, Chicago’s been everything for me, honestly. I can’t even find the words of appreciation and love that this organization and these fans have given to me. Just allowing me to be me, allowing me to be the person I always knew I was careerwise and embracing it. It’s been amazing,” DeRozan said after the season ended. “It’s a hell of a story especially with the route I took being in San Antonio three years. Coming here and just kind of helping this organization and this city get back on the map.”

When the Bulls originally acquired DeRozan via that sign-and-trade transaction with the San Antonio Spurs, it appeared management viewed this roster iteration as a three-year window. Particularly with the way the Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso contracts are structured.

But since then, management has signed Zach LaVine to a maximum contract extension and re-signed Nikola Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million deal. They have doubled down on continuity.

Thus, given that they almost certainly will be operating as an over-the-cap team next offseason, a strong argument can be made to re-sign DeRozan. But at what price?

DeRozan is eligible for a four-year extension worth roughly $179 million. Given that he has outplayed his current deal on the court and represented the Bulls so professionally off it, his agent, Aaron Goodwin, would certainly be reasonable asking for that max.

But the Bulls, who value DeRozan extremely highly, are obviously under no obligation to sign him to that. His current deal represents roughly 21 percent of the salary cap. With the cap rising, an extension similar to the one Khris Middleton signed with the Bucks—three years, $102 million—would be roughly the same percentage of the salary cap.

Would that be enough for DeRozan? Or is there middle ground between the two?

If the Bulls were going to pivot off this core, the February 2023 trade deadline seemed like the ideal time to do so. Instead, the Bulls chased a play-in spot and then re-signed Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu this offseason.

It’s not like letting DeRozan walk after this season makes the Bulls flush with salary cap space. Re-signing him to a deal that aligns with the life of Vucevic’s contract is one path. Waiting to see how the Bulls are faring between now and the February 2024 deadline is another.

Stay tuned. Management’s work never ends.

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Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

Last year, DeMar DeRozan appeared on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast and gave the largely unheralded Torrey Craig some flowers.

“I give him top-two players in the league that defends me the best,” DeRozan said on the podcast.

And indeed, Craig displayed his tenaciousness during a Jan. 31, 2021 matinee between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. That’s two teams ago for Craig, who starred in a supplemental role for the Phoenix Suns last season and now is DeRozan’s teammate on the Bulls.

But that day, Craig relentlessly hounded DeRozan, picking him up fullcourt, fighting over screens to limit his space, contesting his shots. DeRozan had shot just 7-for-23 when he gathered the ball for the final possession of a one-point game, including 4-for-12 in direct matchups versus Craig.

And then DeRozan sank a 27-foot, one-legged, game-winning 3-pointer over Craig’s contest at the buzzer. Ballgame.

“If you watched that game, I think was playing some of the best defense,” Craig said in an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “When he made that shot off one leg, you can’t do nothing but just pat him on the back and say, ‘Good shot.’ That’s how it is.

“Great players make great plays. And he’s one of those players who made a great shot. And then he backed it up with another game-winner the following night. So I didn’t feel so bad about it after that one.”

Indeed, DeRozan became the first player in NBA history to sink game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointers on consecutive days, performing more magic the next night in Washington to beat the Wizards.

Craig said he’s happy to be DeRozan’s teammate now and appreciated the respect he showed him when he made his comment to JJ Redick on Redick’s popular podcast.

“It means a lot. He’s a great player,” Craig said. “Him saying that is a level of respect. I admire guys like that.”

And then that relentlessness flashed again.

“I wonder who the first (top defender) was,” Craig said, laughing. “I’m going to ask him.”

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On Saturday, DeRozan sat courtside at the WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob Ultra Arena and was eager to introduce his daughters to some of the world’s best female hoopers.

Diar, 10, and Mari, 6, posed with New York Liberty superstars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, as well as Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, while their father proudly snapped photos.

By now, NBA fans might be familiar with DeRozan’s two daughters, who have been spotted at Bulls games adorably mimicking their dad’s free throw routine from the sidelines. His eldest, Diar, went mega-viral in April when she was shown on ESPN’s game broadcast screaming each time the Raptors shot free throws, resulting in a Bulls play-in tournament win as Toronto went 18-of-36 from the line.

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In September 2022, DeRozan went on JJ Reddick’s podcast and made a bold statement about Torrey Craig’s game.

“I give him top two players in the league that defends me the best,” DeRozan said on “The Old Man and The Three.”

DeRozan was narrating the sequence leading up to his one-legged buzzer beater on New Year’s Eve against the Pacers in 2021 — the one he hit in Craig’s face from well beyond the arc.

“In my mind, I’m like, ‘I’m not gonna make it to the rim with how tired I am if I try to shoot a fadeaway off two feet,'” DeRozan said. “And the way [Craig] was contesting me all night, he was gonna block it. So in my mind, I crossed, and I know he’s not gonna expect me to shoot off one leg. And I went off one leg just to be able to get the shot off because if I shot a fadeaway off two feet, he would have blocked it. No question he would have blocked it.”

The Bulls signed the 6-foot-7 forward to a two-year contact last week to address their need for 3-point shooting. Craig’s 39.5% from 3-point range last season coupled with an ability to guard multiple positions made him a fit for whatever roster Artūras Karnišovas’s is trying to build this offseason.

Harden opted into his player option for the 2023-24 season worth $35.6 million as part of the agreement.

To add another question to the myriad that faces the Bulls this offseason, one national reporter suggested the Chicago Bulls could be in on the Harden sweepstakes.

“Chicago would be one potential trade partner to keep in mind, as the Bulls have made Zach LaVine available in conversations this offseason, sources said, and could also send an All-Star such as DeMar DeRozan back to Philadelphia. But there will be many avenues the Sixers explore before finalizing a Harden trade,” Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wrote.

Make no mistake, Harden will have plenty of interested parties for his services. Fischer reports Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers have mutual interest, and that the Clippers have already been in touch with Philadelphia about a trade.

Other interested, or at least, curious parties, include the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, the latter of whom holds a stake in virtually any and all trade rumors surrounding a superstar player. The Heat’s interest in Damian Lillard’s potential availability may trump any interest they have in Harden, though.

Harden’s interest in the Clippers makes it perfectly clear his intention is to find a destination that can offer him a path to a championship. He tried and failed with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, and perished again with Joel Embiid and the 76ers.

Harden’s quest for a title will seemingly continue, which puts the Bulls’ odds of landing him in question.

Still, as Fischer vitally noted, Sixers President Daryl Morey does not have to abide by Harden’s request for his next destination. The same principle applies to Zach LaVine, who reportedly rejected the idea of being traded to the New York Knicks this offseason.

Contrary to that school of thought, it’s likely both sides would do right by each player. Morey’s relationship with Harden stems back to their days together with the Houston Rockets, where Harden won his first and only MVP award. Bulls executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas has also publicly praised LaVine on multiple accounts, too, displaying his respect.

The Bulls have shopped LaVine around the league this offseason, gauging what kind of offers they could pull for the two-time All-Star. In the event that the Bulls could acquire Harden — one of the league’s best offensive players — would their admiration for LaVine outweigh the prize of Harden?

It’s possible. But it would greatly depend on the return for both sides. There doesn’t seem to be a scenario where either team would trade their superstars to flip the switch to rebuild mode.

The Sixers are reportedly looking to rid Tobias Harris’ contract from their books, also. A trade package of LaVine and DeRozan for Harden and Harris works on paper, according to Fanspo’s trade machine.

But would it entice both sides?

It’s a long stretch with a multitude of conditions. The news of Harden’s availability coming just before free agency opens Friday evening doesn’t make things easier, either.

But if the Bulls are searching for the right deal to shuffle the deck and stay on course for a championship run, this could be an option. But again, it would take a lot of leg work and some stars aligning.

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It seemed like Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley had the ball rolling during the summer of 2021. They added DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to a roster with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the latter of whom they traded for at the season’s trade deadline.

They were able to accomplish a winning season in 2021. They earned a playoff berth and competed against the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks — a series they lost in five games. But they got the ball rolling in a positive direction.

Last season, however, did not go as planned; a losing 40-42 record and play-in boot has them now on the verge of pivoting the direction of the organization in a new direction. Hence, they have a lot of decisions to make this summer that will directly affect the long-term outlook for the Bulls.

“I don’t really know what the moves are with this team,” Ryen Russillo said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “From a roster standpoint, there are a lot of other rosters I wanted and a couple of the other teams I was thinking about at least have a top-7, or 8, pick.”

RELATED: NBA Insider predicts Patrick Williams to receive five-year $100 million extension

On the podcast, Simmons and Russillo recorded a segment listing the “worst general manager jobs” to have in the NBA. Russillo selected the Bulls. He cited Patrick Williams’ shoddy play, LaVine’s massive contract, Vucevic’s extension and DeRozan’s age as worrisome reasons. Russillo also recollected Lonzo Ball’s situation as an undesirable bullet point.

Russillo is correct. The Bulls dug themselves a hole. Their swiftly constructed team is failing and potentially losing their starting point guard to a career-ending injury. Their players are worried about their offensive fit. And the Bulls have little to no draft capital to buy them time with their core.

They are without their first-round draft picks in 2023 and 2025. They also don’t own their 2023 and 2024 second-round picks. The Bulls own two picks over the next three drafts by way of a 2024 first-round and 2025 second-round; not including the lottery-protected first-round pick the Trail Blazers owe Chicago.

Karnišovas and Eversley have internal decisions to make this summer, too. Vucevic is extension eligible and likely desires a healthy figure above or around $22-$25 million per year. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu both need a new contract, as does Javonte Green. Do they want to bring back Patrick Beverley? He had a tangible effect on the floor last season.

The Bulls own one of the most bewildering, puzzling situations in the NBA. They have a slew of expensive players who are unable to gel together on the floor properly enough to win more than half their schedule.

Do they have enough evidence to continue their plan of continuity?

“They’re definitely kind of stuck,” Simmons said.

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