DeMar DeRozan once thought he was going to the Los Angeles Lakers during this last offseason.
DeRozan went in-depth on his free agency to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports and explained that he thought it was a done deal with the Lakers before they pivoted to Russell Westbrook.
“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 after scoring a game-high 38 points to lead the Bulls to a 121-103 victory at Staples Center. “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.”
My @YahooSports conversation with Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan on being under impression Lakers were signing him, thoughts on them pivoting to Russell Westbrook and what led to statement performance: “I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal.” https://t.co/i5GToeRgPg
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 16, 2021
The Lakers definitely could’ve used DeRozan this season, especially with the way he’s currently playing.
He’s averaging nearly 27 points per game and is shooting a touch over 37% from three-point range.
The Bulls are off to a 10-4 start, which is second in the Eastern Conference, and the Lakers are currently 8-7, which is good for seventh in the West.
Chicago’s next game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
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