He put together one of the best overall seasons of his career in 2020-21, averaging 21.6 points, a career-best 6.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds while sinking 51.5 percent of his 2-point attempts and a career-high 88.0 percent of his free throw tries.įor his three seasons with the Spurs, he averaged 21.6 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds and hit 51.4 percent of his 2-point attempts and 85.1 percent of his shots from the charity stripe. RELATED: Patty Mills, the longest-tenured Spurs player, is headed to NetsĭeRozan came to the Spurs in summer 2018 as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors.ĭeRozan, who spent his first nine NBA years in Toronto, led the Spurs in scoring the last two seasons and in assists the last three seasons. The reported move comes on the same day that Spurs unrestricted free agents Rudy Gay and Patty Mills agreed to contract terms with the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets. Young is a 33-year-old 14-year pro.ĭeRozan reportedly has agreed to a three-year, $85 million deal. A season later, San Antonio’s decision to trade him how and when they did has been crystallized as the absolute right move.Aminu is a 30-year-old 11-year veteran. As such, they are willing to forego Taj Gibson in order to accomplish this. According to the Parent Herald, rumors say that the Bulls want to get Sacramento King's small forward Rudy Gay on their team. But considering that the Spurs needed to make room for their younger players to grow and given DeRozan’s net-negative impact on winning, I thought re-signing him would have been a disastrous step in the wrong direction. Right now, rumors point out that the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns are talking about a three-way trade. San Antonio giving DeRozan the contract he got from Chicago ($82 million over three years) might have been justifiable if the focus was simply on his statistical production. The Chicago Bulls, sources said, are among the teams that engaged with the Kings in exploratory discussions on Gay before the Bulls big moves this week to sign.
In fact, heading into last offseason, I thought getting a single first rounder for DeRozan would have been a success. Rudy Gay, a phenom out of Baltimore, was the same way. Four draft picks for a player who the Spurs likely didn’t want to re-sign? That’s a win. on the 2004 title team, is making 3 million annually playing for the Chicago Bulls. When was Rudy Gay drafted Rudy Gay was drafted by Houston Rockets, 1st round (8th pick, 8th overall), 2006 NBA Draft. Is Rudy Gay in the Hall of Fame Rudy Gay is not in the Hall of Fame. How much does Rudy Gay weigh Rudy Gay weighs 250 lbs (113.4 kg). But, even after factoring in DeRozan’s excellent season with the Bulls, I think it was clearly the right decision to trade him and I’m pleased with what the Spurs got in the deal.įollowing subsequent trades and buyouts, the Spurs basically received two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft - 20th overall and 38th overall - and will likely get a first rounder in 2025 and a second rounder in 2025. How tall is Rudy Gay Rudy Gay is 6'8' (2.03m) tall. On paper, the Spurs didn’t get much of a tangible return in exchange for a player who made the All-Star team and may even get some MVP votes.
Trading DeMar DeRozan was the Right Decision by the Spurs Since DeRozan’s production is based on skill, I don’t see him slowing down in a major way any time soon. Players who rely on athleticism start to fall off at around the age of 30. Given that his offensive repertoire is mostly reliant on footwork, deception and precision, I think DeRozan has another three or four seasons of high-level production left in him. Playing in 76 games, DeRozan averaged a career-high 27.9 points along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists, while shooting 50.4% from the field, 35.2% from the three-point line and 87.7% from the charity stripe. At the very least, his 2021-22 campaign was much better than any of the seasons he had with the Spurs. DeMar DeRozan will Age GracefullyĮven though he’s 32, DeRozan likely just had the best season of his career. The Bulls and Rudy Gay are a perfect fit The Chicago Bulls should trade for Rudy Gay The Sacramento Kings will most likely shop small forward Rudy Gay if their season doesn’t go as planned heading.
Will DeRozan ever figure out how to thrive in the postseason? If I were a Bulls fan, I wouldn’t hold my breath. In the elimination game, DeRozan had only 11 points and the Bulls weren’t even competitive in Game 5. The Bulls were outscored by a whopping 14.8 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court. This season, he didn’t play well for the Bulls in the playoffs against the Bucks. There’s no other five-time All-Star whose postseason numbers are anywhere close to as ugly.ĭeRozan played poorly last season in the play-in game for the Spurs. When he’s sitting on the bench in the playoffs, his teams actually outscore opponents by 2.6 points. For his career, his teams have been outscored by 8.4 points per 100 possessions when he’s been on the court in the playoffs. DeMar DeRozan isn’t Built for the PostseasonĭeRozan’s postseason history is about as unsightly as it gets.