For months, people speculated that DeMar DeRozan was ready to take a big pay cut and join the Los Angeles Lakers. He was expected to pursue an NBA championship next to his nemesis, LeBron James.
DeRozan, a California native, had been tied with a move to the Crypto.com Arena for years. He wasn’t happy at San Antonio and looked like a perfect complement for the Lakers’ championship-caliber core.
Nonetheless, the former Toronto Raptors star eventually snubbed the Lakers’ interest and signed with the Chicago Bulls. And, according to a recent report, it all went down to the length of the contract.
NBA Rumors: Lakers Didn’t Want To Give DeRozan A Three-Year Contract
“There were choices they had in the offseason between Buddy Hield, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan,” said Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN. “The Lakers chose Westbrook and LeBron and AD were part of that choice. One of the other choices was DeMar DeRozan, and the Lakers were unwilling to go to 3 years for a contract.”
Even DeRozan Thought It Was A Done Deal
Moreover, even DeRozan thought he was poised to don the purple and gold jersey. Eventually, his camp couldn’t agree on terms with the Lakers and he joined his USC teammate Nikola Vucevic in the Windy City:
“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 said several months ago. “The business side of things just didn’t work out. A couple of things didn’t align. It didn’t work out. It’sjust part of the business, part of the game. My next option was definitely Chicago. So, looking back at it, it worked out well.”
“I can’t speak for the Lakers, but they went with what they felt was best for them,” DeRozan added. “And all due respect to them. No hard feelings. No animosity, but I just look at it as part of the game. A deal is never done until it’s done. I learned that. It just didn’t work out. I’m just happy I’m in Chicago.”
Fast-forward to today and DeRozan has been the best signing of the offseason and a legit MVP candidate from start to finish. The Lakers, on the other hand, wouldn’t even be a playoff team if the season ended today.
