DeMar DeRozan said he thought joining the Los Angeles Lakers was a “done deal” this past offseason.
DeMar DeRozan spent three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs after being dealt to the Western Conference team by the Toronto Raptors in the infamous Kawhi Leonard deal. This past offseason, DeRozan became an unrestricted free agent, where he eventually signed a three-year, $81.9 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. But just how close was DeRozan to signing with the Los Angeles Lakers?
Following the Bulls’ 121-103 win over the Lakers on Monday night, DeRozan revealed that he had been negotiating with the team and thought that it was a “done deal.”
“I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal and that we were going to figure it out. I was going to come home,” DeRozan told Yahoo Sports, via Chris Haynes. “The business side of things just didn’t work out. A couple of things didn’t align. It didn’t work out. It’s just part of the business, part of the game. My next option was definitely Chicago. So, looking back at it, it worked out well.
DeMar DeRozan thought signing with Lakers was “done deal”
As Haynes writes in the article linked above, the Lakers pivoted to bringing in Russell Westbrook once he was made available by the Washington Wizards. Sure enough, they got a deal done, and DeRozan pivoted to the Bulls.
DeRozan also noted that he had met with the Clippers, but they could not reach a deal.
“They didn’t have much, but it was a conversation that was brought up and it didn’t get as far as the Lakers’ situation,” DeRozan told Yahoo Sports, via Haynes. “Both L.A. teams were definitely a big possibility for me.”
So far, signing with the Bulls has turned out to be a smart decision for DeRozan. As of this writing, Chicago is 10-4 on the season and hold second-place in the entire Eastern Conference. This year, DeRozan is averaging 26.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 51.0-percent from the field and 37.1-percent from behind the three-point line.
On Monday night, DeRozan dropped 38 points (15-for-23 from field), recorded six assists and grabbed three rebounds in 35 minutes of playing time against the Lakers.