Bulls star DeMar DeRozan has found a permanent NBA home in Chicago, but things almost didn’t play out that way.
Last summer, after DeRozan became an unrestricted free agent, it was actually the Lakers who were in the strongest position to sign him.
Then, suddenly, they backed out at the last minute and gave the Bulls a free opportunity to sign him.
DeMar DeRozan Felt Disrespected After Team Tried To Offer Him Veteran’s Minimum Deal
As DeRozan admitted in ‘The Old Man & The Three,’ he thought he was a Laker for sure before everything changed.
But the Lakers aren’t the only team to disrespect DeMar. As he revealed on the pod, several teams made lowball offers for DeMar, including one who tried to offer the vet minimum.
That line came in the context of DeRozan describing his free agency experience in 2021, which went from thinking a contract with the Lakers was a “done deal” to signing a three-year, $82 million pact with the Bulls.
Not only did the Lakers pivot off of DeRozan by making an ill-fated trade for Russell Westbrook, according to DeRozan, there was also a team that offered him a veteran’s minimum contract.
It pissed me off,” DeRozan said of the minimum offer. “And I try to make it evident, especially when I play certain teams. It’s easy to tell. Because I made it a personal vendetta against a handful of teams, for sure.”
It’s a pretty shocking testimony from DeMar. For those that don’t remember, he was a free agent the same summer that Westbrook was being moved from the Wizards.
At the time, the Lakers had to choose between either trading for Russ or signing DeRozan to a long-term deal. They chose the former, thanks to Rob Pelinka and LeBron James.
Meanwhile, after being spurned by L.A., DeMar went with one of the only teams who believed in his talents: the Chicago Bulls.
So far, since his arrival, DeRozan has carried more than his share of the load. In 76 games for the franchise, he has averaged 27.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.
This season, he hopes to improve these numbers as he leads the Bulls to prosperity in the East. It will obviously be much easier said than done, but DeRozan can help make it possible.
