Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka
All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was an unrestricted free agent last summer and he was interested in signing with the Los Angeles Lakers to create a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
According to The Athletic, DeRozan took part in meetings at LeBron’s house and felt confident about his chances of signing with the Lakers. However, Los Angeles traded for Russell Westbrook instead of signing DeRozan, who felt the purple and gold “didn’t really have a vision,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“I talked to someone from DeRozan’s camp when DeRozan was in town in LA and he basically stuck it to the Lakers,” Youngmisuk said. “And the impression that I got from his camp was that DeRozan felt that the Lakers were in sort of disarray. They didn’t really have a vision. They didn’t know what they were doing.”
The Lakers made a huge mistake trading for Westbrook instead of signing DeRozan, who thought it was a forgone conclusion that he was signing with his hometown team. Westbrook leads the NBA in turnovers this season and Los Angeles didn’t even make the play-in tournament, while DeRozan is sixth in the league in scoring and first in total points.
DeRozan: ‘I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal’
DeRozan told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports in November that he felt he was going to the Lakers. However, everything changed after LA traded for 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. “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.”
The Lakers are going to regret trading for Westbrook instead of getting DeRozan for a long time. DeRozan would have been a better fit next to LeBron and Davis since he can shoot jumpers. The Bulls star is shooting 50.4% from the field this season while averaging 28.0 points.
Meanwhile, Westbrook is shooting 44.4% from the floor and averaging 3.8 turnovers. He has a plus-minus of -211 and the Lakers’ offensive rating actually increased when the one-time MVP was on the bench.
DeRozan seems to have found a home with the Bulls, who have clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2017. As for Westbrook, there’s a chance he could be playing for his fifth team in five years next season.
DeRozan Loves Playing for Bulls; Westbrook Could Be Traded or Waived by Lakers
DeRozan has said multiple times this season that he adores playing for the Bulls. The California native is enjoying a career year at 32 years old and treasures putting on the jersey Michael Jordan made famous.
“Historically, we understand the history behind the Chicago Bulls,” DeRozan told the New York Post in February. “And for me to be able to put on a jersey and represent a great organization, being able to represent on the biggest stage during the season, is awesome. It’s something that’s a dream come true. Everything else I can’t explain. I think I’m just haunted by the ghost that’s in the United Center.”
The Lakers would have probably made the playoffs this season had they acquired DeRozan instead of Westbrook, who according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, may be on a new team again next season. The UCLA product and the Lakers have mutual interest in parting ways this offseason.
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