Getty Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Had the offseason gone a little bit differently, the Los Angeles Lakers roster could be in a better spot right now. Based on the 24-24 record, the team wouldn’t mind a roster change or two. The Lakers were linked to names like Buddy Hield and DeMar DeRozan in the offseason but decided to sell the farm in a trade for Russell Westbrook.
After 48 games, it’s clear that the decision was a mistake. Not only has Westbrook been a bad fit, but DeRozan is playing at an MVP level right now. He’s averaging 26.4 points a game right now and has led the Chicago Bulls to a 30-17 record, which is good for second place in the Eastern Conference.
What must hurt the Lakers is how obvious it is that DeRozan wanted to play for them. He hasn’t been shy about wanting to come home and play in Los Angeles. In fact, there have been rumors that he was even willing to take a pay cut to play for the Lakers. In an interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, DeRozan confirmed he was willing to take less money to come to Los Angeles, but he suggested it wouldn’t have been a “substantial” one.
“Yeah. It was an option. It was a real realistic option,” DeRozan said in response to being asked if would’ve been willing to take some sort of pay cut to join the Lakers.
DeRozan was open to the idea of taking a pay but it doesn’t appear that it’s something that he really took a deep dive on.
“I never understood what was a pay cut though. I could have taken a dollar less, that’s a pay cut,” DeRozan said.
Demar Derozan tells me he was willing to take a pay cut to play for the Lakers.
“It was a realistic option.”
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Playing With LeBron James Appealing to DeRozan
DeRozan had a chance to join the Lakers in the past but chose to stay put with the Toronto Raptors. That was an understandable decision back then as the Lakers had a bad team that was filled with young players. This latest opportunity was much different.
DeRozan could’ve played with LeBron James and Anthony Davis while competing for a championship in front of his hometown crowd. That was something that DeRozan wouldn’t have passed up had he gotten an offer, even if the offer was for less money than he could’ve gotten elsewhere.
“I had the opportunity to play with one of the greatest players of all time, why not? It’s hard to turn that down,” DeRozan said. “You know, and to want to compete for a championship, in your home town – like all those elements, just had lined up to allow me to consider a realistic pay cut.”
Lakers Would Much Rather Have DeRozan Than Westbrook
With the current NBA season over halfway done, there’s no doubt the Lakers would do things differently if they had a time machine. Things have gotten so bad with Westbrook that the team has considered swapping him with John Wall in trade with the Houston Rockets, per Marc Stein.
Similar to Westbrook, DeRozan wouldn’t be a seamless fit with Davis and LeBron. He’s not a 3-point shooter and isn’t known as a great defender. However, he’s simply a better player than Westbrook right now. Picking the former MVP is a mistake that could haunt the Lakers for a long time.
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MVP Candidate Confirms He Was Ready to Take Pay Cut to Sign With Lakers