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Over the years, NBA players have shown a penchant for returning home at some point in their careers. The Los Angeles Lakers just brought back a hometown icon in Russell Westbrook, who grew up in Long Beach, California. However, there was another L.A. son who was gunning for a spot on the team.
Prior to Westbrook making his way to the Lakers, DeMar DeRozan was commonly linked to the team. The four-time All-Star grew up in Compton, California, and played college ball at USC. He’s spent his NBA career in Toronto, Canada, and San Antonio, Texas. Those two cities are very different than Los Angeles. DeRozan ended up signing with the Chicago Bulls after the Lakers traded for Westbrook. He isn’t hiding the fact that going to Chicago wasn’t his first choice.
“Yeah, I mean, it was, it was a real possibility,” DeRozan said of playing in Los Angeles in an interview with Draymond Green. “I mean, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I wanted to come home, you know? I did try to make it happen. There’s a real possibility on it happening. You know, just things didn’t work out, you know what I mean?”
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DeRozan Even Spoke to LeBron James
This isn’t the first time DeRozan has made his interest in Los Angeles known. He just recently revealed that he went so far as to have conversations with LeBron James about joining the Lakers.
“They was great, honestly,” DeRozan told the Stadium’s Shams Charania of the conversations he had with LeBron. “Tried to make it work. Had plenty of conversation with Bron. Tried to make it work. Just didn’t work. You know how the business go. One thing can just change the whole dynamic and everything, but it was a hell of a opportunity that we tried to make happen. Me being from L.A., would have been crazy, but some things just didn’t work out, but it’s always great just to have the opportunity.”
Had Westbrook not become available, there’s a strong chance DeRozan would’ve ended up with the Lakers. The team clearly wanted a third star this offseason and DeRozan would’ve fit the bill. However, he’s not a former MVP like Westbrook so it’s easy to see why the team went in that direction.
Would DeRozan Be a Better Fit Than Westbrook?
Nobody would dispute that Westbrook is a great player and future Hall of Famer, but his fit with the Lakers is questionable. LeBron and Anthony Davis aren’t great shooters so it would’ve been wise for the team to look for a third superstar with shooting ability. Westbrook may be the worst 3-point shooter in the NBA.
However, DeRozan isn’t much of a shoot either. He just doesn’t take a lot of shots from beyond the arc. He’s averaging 0.4 attempts from three a game over his career. While Westbrook isn’t a great fit next to Davis and LeBron, DeRozan wouldn’t have been any better. A player like Buddy Hield or Bradley Beal would’ve been perfect to pair next to the two superstars but the Lakers were clearly enthralled with the idea of bringing Westbrook in.
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