“Don’t Want To Play For 20 Years”: DeMar DeRozan Cites Multiple Reasons For Not Wanting To Stay In The NBA For Too Long

Players in the NBA have different takes when it comes to how long they wish to play the game they love. While some have expressed how they would want to play in the league till their legs can’t function anymore, DeMar DeRozan stands with the ones who just aren’t ready to run their bodies into a wall for the sport.

The Chicago Bulls man recently made an appearance on the Run It Back Podcast.  The six-time All-Star talked about his future in the league and how he had no desire to go up to year 20 in the NBA.

“I’m going to be honest with you…I don’t want to play for 20 years…Just from the standpoint of like, missing my kids, and I kind of love being normal at times.”

 

“I’m going to be honest with you…I don’t want to play for 20 years…Just from the standpoint of like, missing my kids, and I kind of love being normal at times.”@DeMar_DeRozan on if he could play in the #NBA for another 5 years pic.twitter.com/92FTLKTV1E

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 15, 2024

In the regular season, teams are often away from their places of residence due to road games. While most players tend to take their families along, after a point of time, this just doesn’t seem to be possible with their children starting school or their wives having to take care of their careers or businesses.

Another reason given by DeMar was that he wanted to be normal which meant being with his family more often than being on the road with his team. 

Drafted back in 2009, DeMar DeRozan has already played 15 seasons in the NBA. If the Southern California college product wanted to play 20 seasons, he would go on to retire somewhere after the 2028-29 NBA season. And it really is hard to blame him for it. After all, after spending so much time on the road, who wouldn’t want to do anything more than relax with their family?

But even at the age of 30, DeRozan is a highly productive player for the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls man averaged 24.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 58.4 true shooting percentage this past season. Even though Chicago missed the playoffs, DeRozan still had a stellar year, given this was his 15th season in the NBA.

Are DeMar DeRozan’s days in Chicago numbered?

DeMar DeRozan has played the last three seasons of his career with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star has often displayed a lot of love for the Windy City. However, when talking about where he could land next, his hometown, Los Angeles was not out of the question.

“You can’t never say no about playing home…Time will tell, we’ll see where the cards fall.”

 

Would @DeMar_DeRozan ever consider playing for the #Lakers?

“You can’t never say no about playing home…Time will tell, we’ll see where the cards fall.” pic.twitter.com/IXnamokK64

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 15, 2024

DeRozan is going to be a free agent this summer. As per Spotrac, his last contract was a 3-year/$81,900,000 with the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. With it soon coming to an end, there is a possibility that DeMar may be open to joining the Lakers.

It’ll be interesting to see where DeRozan lands, given that he may be in the twilight years of his career now. Will he re-sign with Chicago or go on to join one of the two Los Angeles squads?

This upcoming free agency is the only thing that can answer this question.