Chicago Used a Sign-and-Trade for DeMar DeRozan
On August 11, 2021, Chicago acquired All-Star scorer DeMar DeRozan from San Antonio in a sign-and-trade. The Spurs received Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a 2022 second-round selection connected to No. 38 Kennedy Chandler, and a protected future first-rounder that eventually became No. 12 Noa Essengue in 2025. The Bulls had already added Lonzo Ball and were trying to assemble a more competitive roster around Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević. DeRozan was one of the league’s most established midrange shot creators, while San Antonio was moving toward its next young core. The agreement was not a simple swap of shooting guards: Chicago paid with two veteran forwards and multiple valuable draft selections. Both pick chains need to be accounted for separately from any additional subsequent rights trades.
DeRozan Quickly Delivered All-NBA-Level Chicago Scoring
DeRozan immediately became Chicago’s leading late-game scorer. In 2021-22 he averaged 27.9 points and 4.9 assists over 76 games, earned All-NBA Second Team recognition and helped lead the Bulls to the postseason for the first time since 2017. He repeatedly created difficult midrange shots late in games and provided a reliable offensive option when the team’s younger guards struggled. His production remained above twenty points per game in multiple subsequent Chicago seasons, giving the franchise more than one short rental. The inherited A grade reflects scoring and leadership that clearly came from the acquired player, not from earlier Raptors or Spurs statistics imported into the Bulls ledger. The franchise did not become a title favorite solely through the trade, but it obtained a dependable veteran centerpiece with a major role in an improved regular-season offense.
San Antonio Collected Draft Assets for the Next Roster Cycle
Young and Aminu were experienced forwards whose contracts offered the Spurs several possible roster approaches. San Antonio also received a second-round pick in 2022 and a protected future first that eventually became a 2025 lottery selection. A future No. 12 pick represented genuine rebuilding capital, and San Antonio’s C inherited grade may appear conservative given that payoff. However, the complete NBA playing careers of Kennedy Chandler and Noa Essengue should not be assigned to the Spurs without establishing every subsequent rights movement. The direct trade moved a high-level veteran scorer out of San Antonio before another draft-led rebuild, while giving the team several compensating assets. Chicago’s higher A grade rewards years of immediately measurable All-NBA scoring. The sides had very different competitive priorities in August 2021.
Final Verdict
Bulls Win. Chicago earns A for DeMar DeRozan, who averaged 27.9 points during his first Chicago season and earned All-NBA recognition. San Antonio gets C for Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a 2022 second-round asset tied to No. 38 Kennedy Chandler and a protected first that later became No. 12 Noa Essengue in 2025.