DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his three-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. He’s eligible to sign an extension, but those talks have stalled between DeRozan and the Bulls.
For his part, DeRozan says he doesn’t worry about contract talks or trade rumors during the season. The veteran wing leaves that stuff for others to take care of.
“This is work time,” DeRozan said Saturday. “I don’t want to hear (bleep), to be honest with you. I’ve been with my agent my whole career, and him knowing me like he does, people around me know how I am when it comes down to that kind of stuff. Same thing with family stuff back home. If it isn’t an emergency or something serious, I don’t want to hear about it, I don’t need to know about it.”
DeRozan understands where the questions and rumors come from. But he doesn’t want to be a distraction when he and his teammates should be focused on playing basketball.
“I understand what comes with having a rough season or rumors, and that speculation is going to come up everywhere,” DeRozan said. “It comes with this profession. Same with my contract. I’ve never demanded or stated, made accusations, ‘I want this, I need this, I deserve this.’ I just go out and play and let the chips fall where they fall. Tend to my teammates and be the best version of myself that I can be.”
Donovan Mitchell has to step up with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both out of the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup. On Saturday, Mitchell did so with 22 points and a career-high 13 assists in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The veteran guard said that helping his team through this rough patch is his focus, not his future in the NBA.
“My job is to focus on this,” Mitchell said, cutting off a question about his future. “We have two guys that are out, so I’m not answering anything. And no disrespect. I appreciate that you have to ask the question, but I’m not going there with any of those questions. My focus is on these guys being out, us trying to find a way to get wins.”
Mitchell has this season, plus two more seasons on the five-year contract he originally signed with the Utah Jazz. However, Mitchell has a player option for the 2025-26 season. That’s led to speculation that his time in Cleveland could be short.
This summer, Mitchell is extension-eligible and will be eligible for a super max extension if he makes All-NBA this season. If not, Mitchell could opt out after next season and become one of the top unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2025.
The state of Indiana was host to three of the biggest men’s basketball games on Dec. 16. Mike Lopresti breaks down the upsets and comebacks that made Saturday so special.