NBA Insider for ESPN Ramona Shelburne reveals the Lakers’ reason behind not signing DeMar DeRozan during the recent off-season.
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The LA Lakers made the most noise during the 2021-22 off-season, revamping their roster around the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Rob Pelinka and co would trade a lot of its young core to form a Big 3 with Russell Westbrook. The team also acquired a batch of All-Star veterans.
The signing of Westbrook created polarizing views at the time. Many sections of the Lakers Nation weren’t happy about having Brodie on board, owing to his ball-dominant nature and inability to shoot. The purple and gold team didn’t adhere to Buddy Hield and DeMar DeRozan as choices.
The way the 2021-22 season has panned out for the Lakers, it seems Westbrook wasn’t the ideal choice. The former MVP has struggled in his shooting and continuous turnovers. Westbrook is currently top 5 in turnovers and is shooting 43.7% from the field and below 30% from the 3-point line.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Ramona Shelburne spoke about a supposed DeMar DeRozan signing that could have happened.
The LA Lakers were unwilling to go for a 3-year deal with DeMar DeRozan.
In hindsight, the Lakers might be regretting letting go of DeRozan each day. The five-time All-Star is having a path-breaking year in his first season with the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan is one of the top candidates to win the MVP and has led the Bulls to the top seed in the eastern conference.
After a lukewarm stint with the San Antonio Spurs, Deebo signed a 3-year $81M deal with the Bulls. And did anyone expect this signing to pay such big dividends? Surprisingly, DeRozan, who hails from LA, had expressed a desire to play for the purple and gold franchise.
According to NBA Insider Ramona Shelbourne, the Lakers were not keen on giving DeRozan a 3-year deal.
“There were choices they had in the offseason between Buddy Hield, Russell Westbrook, and DeMar DeRozan. The Lakers chose Westbrook and LeBron + AD were part of that choice. One of the other choices was DeMar DeRozan, and the Lakers were unwilling to go to 3 years for a contract.”
Reports of a rift between the James camp and Lakers President Rob Pelinka have been doing the rounds. The four-time superstar’s recent press conferences have seen him take indirect digs at Pelinka and tease a potential return to Cleveland.
The Lakers, who lacked shooting, gave up a 3-point sniper in Hield and a mid-range king in DeRozan while acquiring Westbrook.
Having Deebo on board would have solved a plethora of problems for the Lakers, taking off the load from a 37-year old James.
