DeMar DeRozan had one of the best seasons of his career last year as he made his debut with the Chicago Bulls. While DeRozan thought he was going to be playing for the LA Lakers, he made the best of his situation with Chicago. DeRozan was named as an All-Star after a few seasons of not being named, along with leading the Bulls to their first playoff berth in years.
DeRozan is a veteran in the league and has seen many things transpire over his career. After watching Kevin Durant demand a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets despite having 4 years left on his contract, DeRozan shared his true feelings on the matter with JJ Redick on his podcast.
“I think times have changed so much in terms of guys are more comfortable, if they feel a certain way, expressing themselves. I think everybody is completely different. If your happiness is more important than the backlash, go for it. When I see guys ask for trades and do these things, I just give it a second and let it play out. At the end of the day, we don’t know how that person feels. We could speculate and say ‘oh it’s bad he just signed a deal’, internally, that’s his business with his team. He’s gotta go to work every day and we don’t know what transpired.”
Should Kevin Durant Have Requested A Trade?
There is a difference between being traded and requesting a trade, as one sends a more subtle message to your team. KD’s trade request has laid the groundwork for the team to have no more excuses to make this season. He signed for 4 years on a team with himself, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. However, it seems KD will be the only person left on the team by next season.
KD has used an aggressive strategy to let the Nets know he is not happy, as the franchise will be forced to trade him at a much lower cost anyway in the future. If this season doesn’t work out, the Nets may have another tough offseason in 2023 trying to convince Kyrie to stay and KD to not be traded away.
