In the last offseason, star player DeMar DeRozan was one amongst the names that were under the radar of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Unfortunately, a deal involving the two didn’t occur, yet DeRozan kept it real about his openness to wear a purple and gold jersey.
The brand-new member of the Chicago Bulls admitted in an interview with Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green that he’d be ‘lying’ if he didn’t say he wanted to sign with the Lakeshow.
“Yeah, I mean, it was – it was a real possibility. 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 of it happening. You know, just things didn’t work out, you know what I mean?”
A blockbuster transaction wherein the Lakers received Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards has ultimately ended the chances of DeRozan landing in L.A. The mid-range maestro was instead dealt with the Windy City and is now poised to help Zach Lavine and the Bulls to contend in the now loaded Eastern Conference.
In an interview from the past with Shams Charania, DeRozan openly admitted that he had deep conversations with current Lakers superstar LeBron James about his intentions of going home to Los Angeles, yet things didn’t go well as planned.
“Tried to make it work. Had plenty of conversations with Bron [LeBron James]. Tried to make it work – just didn’t work. You know how the business goes. One thing can just change the whole dynamic and everything, but it was a hell of an 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.”
Before arriving in the Bulls, the four-time All-star spent three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He was the main man of the Toronto Raptors in the mid-2010s until being swapped with superstar Kawhi Leonard.
The Bulls and Lakers are set to meet on November 15.
