DeMar DeRozan was ‘hell-bent’ on joining Lakers: ‘I thought it was a done deal’
Nothing is promised during NBA free agency.
Whether you have plans to sign with a specific team or are open to several options, that can change at any moment.
For Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan, before signing a three-year, $82 million contract with Chicago last summer, the 14-year veteran thought he was joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles.
“To my knowledge, I thought it was a done deal,” DeRozan said on Thursday’s episode of “The Old Man And The Three” with J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter.
DeRozan said he was in Mexico when former teammate and best friend Kyle Lowry called him to let him know about Russell Westbrook being trade to the Lakers. “I’m confused,” DeRozan said. “I’m looking at my phone like, damn, that did happen. Well, I guess that’s out the window.”
The Lakers acquiring Westbrook’s contract took up any cap space available to sign DeRozan and bring him home to Los Angeles, which he was ‘hell-bent’ on.
“Because in my mind, that was the only option for me to go to. Like, I was so sold on that. Done deal,” DeRozan said. “I didn’t even entertain anything else…I was hell-bent on playing for the Lakers.”
Check out the full clip below.
“To my knowledge, I thought it was a done deal.” DeMar DeRozan really thought he was going to be a Laker.
Watch the full episode with @jj_redick and @talter: https://t.co/iFQ3jKqn9N pic.twitter.com/SV73O5jdyy
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) September 29, 2022
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