DeMar DeRozan’s time in Chicago came to a natural end this offseason.
With the organization failing to make it out of the Play-In Tournament in back-to-back seasons, everybody knew change was on the horizon. DeRozan was headed toward unrestricted free agency, and re-signing hi🌞m would mean keeping together a core trio that has failed to produce winning results. With that being the case, as July inched closer, most everyone expected the 35-year-old to join a winning environment.
What was not expected, however, was how long it would take for DeRozan to find a new home. With money tight around the league and new tax apron penalties looming, many contending teams seemed to struggle to lure the six-time All-Star. And DeRozan surely deserved a sizable payday after making an Allಞ-NBA Team and two All-Star appearances during his time with Chicago.
Eventually, the Sacramento Kings shocked everyone and made arguably their most aggressive free agency move in franchise history. They worked out a sign-and-trade with Chicago to sign DeRozan to a three-year, $74.0 million deal. He’ll now create a new All-Star trio with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox in a loaded West.
To be sure, while it took some time for DeRozan to land on his feet, he made clear that🔯 there was plenty of interest across the league. On , DeRozan mentioned each team that was involved in🐭 his free agency process.
“Thinking about Philly,” DeRozan told the newest Phildelphia 76ers forward, Paul George. “Philly was definitely an option. The Lakers were an option. The Clippers were an option, and the Heat were an option. Those teams were a real, personal legitimate option that I was considering.”
All things considered, none of these names should come as a major surprise. Philly has legitimate money to spend and a need for All-Star-level talent next to Joel Embiid. The Lakers and Clippers have both been linked to DeRozan – the LA native – at nearly every turn. As for the Heat, they were connected to DeRozan a couple of times throughout the offseason and a prior report even stated they tried like “heck” to land the veteran this summer.
Still, DeRozan confirming that each situation was a “legitimate option” speaks to how busy his free agency may have actually been. This makes the Kings’ ability to land him all the more impressive, as well as the Bulls’ inability to net more in a sign-and-trade all the more frustrating. Sure, the Kings had an easier path to offering DeRozan the money he was looking for, but there was clearly some competition out there from big-name teams. The Bulls really couldn’t land more than a second-round pick? They had to let San Antonio get the first-rounder!? UGH.
Anyway, DeRozan had plenty more to say about free agency and his three seasons with the Bulls during his podcast interview. You can listen to the full thing on YouTube and read some more of my thoughts below.
