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Six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan did not hold back his thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers passing up on him in 2021 and again, this summer.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, DeRozan said he wanted to come home and play for the Lakers during the 2021 NBA free agency. The Lakers, however, passed up on him and instead traded for Russell Westbrook — a move which ultimately backfired.
“Yeah, you just learn how to deal with it from a business standpoint,” DeRozan told Amick about the Lakers decision in 2021. “Obviously, I have my selfish reasons for wanting to be able to play at home, (but) sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. And sometimes it probably isn’t the best decision for me either. So after that didn’t happen, I didn’t dwell on it. I wasn’t mad. They made their choice, and I just left it at that.”
DeRozan joined the Chicago Bulls instead and earned his sixth All-Star berth in his first season there before things began to unravel with injuries to his co-stars Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine.
DeMar DeRozan Didn’t Get Hopes up With Lakers Talks This Summer
DeRozan said that the 2021 nixed opportunity with the Lakers prepared him mentally when talks about another possible stint with the Lakers came up this offseason.
“Yeah. Yeah, it did [seems like it’s going to happen],” DeRozan told Amick. “But after the last time, the last situation, you really don’t get your hopes all the way up. I think the first time before I went to Chicago (in 2021), that was the closest it had been. And even for me, I thought it was going to be that. But when that didn’t happen, I didn’t have high hopes because you already see how it could play out.”
After talks with the Lakers became “frozen,” as NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on July 2, DeRozan quickly pivoted and joined the Sacramento Kings for a three-year, $74 million deal via sign-and-trade with the Bulls.
Haynes reported were only considering signing DeRozan for the full midlevel exception after LeBron James took paycut.
“I know DeRozan will probably be amenable to taking on a one-year deal. But I just don’t see him taking the full midlevel exception, which is that $13 million,” Haynes said on #ThisLeague Uncut podcast on July 2.
Once is enough. Twice is too much.
DeMar DeRozan in LeBron James’ Wish List
DeRozan was the fourth player James would consider taking a paycut, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Now, LeBron and Rich Paul met with the Lakers on this topic last week and they agreed — from what I am told — on a short list of players that LeBron would feel good about taking less money to get on the Lakers,” Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast on July 1. “I think there’s more than three [players].
“I think DeMar DeRozan is on that list as well, and there may be another one or so. But here’s the thing. … They don’t have those players to sign and to even get LeBron to take [less money]. Right now, it would take LeBron taking a 50% pay cut — five zero, about $25 million less — to get the Lakers in position to do that. Over the course of multiple years, that would potentially be a lot of money,” Windhorst said.
The 35-year-old DeRozan was the Bulls’ leading scorer last season, averaging 24.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 79 games. He finished second to Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the Clutch Player of the Year race.
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