The free agency pursuit of DeMar DeRozan was one that a lot of people kept an eye on this NBA offseason. He was one of the most established veterans available in free agency this past summer and plenty of teams were interested in landing him.
There were a ton of rumors about where he could land, as it was being reported that he would take less money to land with specific teams. One of the teams mentioned in that scenario was the Miami Heat, which was said to not actually be true.
Ultimately, DeRozan ended up landing with the Chicago Bulls. He signed a three-year, $85 million deal, which was part of a sign-and-trade deal. The San Antonio Spurs received Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a future first-round pick and two future second-round picks in exchange for trading DeRozan.
Before signing with the Bulls, DeRozan did share that he was pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers. The chance to return home to Los Angeles was tempting, as he had multiple discussions with the team. He even spoke to LeBron James, but things did not pan out.
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“They was great, honestly. Tried to make it work, had plenty of conversations with Bron. Tried to make it work…just didn’t work. You know how the business goes. One thing can just change the whole dynamic on everything. But it was a hell of an opportunity that we tried to make happen. Me bring from LA would’ve been crazy, but some things just don’t work out. It’s always great just to have the opportunity.”
DeRozan shared that while talking to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Lakers ultimately ended up trading for Russell Westbrook, which eliminated any real chance they had of acquiring someone such as DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal. Los Angeles filled their roster with a lot of players on veteran’s minimum deals while DeRozan went to The Windy City.
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DeRozan will be joining former Los Angeles Lakers guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso with the Bulls. Ball landed there after a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, while Caruso signed a four-year, $37 million deal to leave Los Angeles.
While it sounds like DeMar DeRozan would have been thrilled to end up back home, he is excited about his future with the Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to make a run at the NBA Finals with a “Big 3” of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and now, Russell Westbrook.
