OKLAHOMA CITY — Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is no stranger to the chaos that is the business of basketball.
He learned the hard way that even when an organization feels like family, a player is dispensable.
‘‘Being traded from a place that was home was everything for me,’’ DeRozan told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I never even considered the business of basketball until I got traded.’’
His trade from the Raptors, the team that drafted him with the ninth overall pick out of USC in 2009, to the Spurs after the 2017-18 season left DeRozan with thick scar tissue. Enough that the trade rumors and chatter surrounding him and teammate Zach LaVine now is nothing but child’s play.
‘‘People have to make decisions however they see fit,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘You may agree with them, you may not, but it’s part of being in this game.’’
DeRozan is in the last year of his three-year deal with the Bulls and has been in talks with the organization about an extension since the beginning of the season. Multiple reports, however, have said the sides remain apart on multiple fronts.
As the commotion surrounding the Bulls heightens between now and the trade deadline Feb. 8, DeRozan remains anchored in the present. He credits that to the veterans he played with early in his career and to that first taste of the business side he experienced.
‘‘If you’re at home in your house and there’s a bunch of commotion outside, somebody is going to start up some type of rumor about what’s happening outside,’’ DeRozan said.
So there’s no bringing that commotion into the house?
‘‘No, you can’t,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘You can look out the window every now and then, but you can’t bring it inside.’’
As far as his conversations with LaVine and guard Alex Caruso, who are being mentioned in trade rumors with him, DeRozan said they don’t talk about it. He said the focus remains on controlling what they can.
Addicted to the grind
LaVine might be getting most of the headlines in terms of trade rumors, but multiple reports say Caruso is drawing most of the interest.
It’s easy to understand, too. Caruso has been a bright spot in what has been a tough early season for the Bulls, who were sitting at 5-10 heading into their game Wednesday against the Thunder to start a four-game road trip.
Caruso entered play Wednesday shooting a career-high 50% from three-point range and is the Bulls’ best defender, punching way above his weight class in taking on assignments such as Suns star Kevin Durant and Magic forward Paolo Banchero.
He likens his development over his seven-year career to an addiction.
‘‘I love the feeling of putting in the work and seeing the results from it,’’ Caruso said. ‘‘There’s a sense of pride that comes that I think is more beneficial than any kind of noise or getting your name in the highlights.’’
Another aspect fueling the trade interest in Caruso is his team-friendly $9.9 million, partially guaranteed contract next season. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
When it comes to the uncertainty about what the 2œ months before the trade deadline might bring, Caruso said his focus remains on what he can control, and that always has been his effort.
‘‘At the end of the day, two years from now, I’m gonna be up for another contract,’’ Caruso said. ‘‘I want to make sure what I’m doing now is working to go toward me having a further NBA career.’’
