The Los Angeles Lakers have been searching for a third scorer to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they almost landed star wing scorer DeMar DeRozan in free agency before he signed a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings this summer.
DeMar DeRozan nearly signed with the Lakers this offseason
The 34-year-old six-time All-Star went on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s podcast titled Podcast P with Paul George, and said that the Lakers were in serious consideration during his free agency along with a few other teams.
“Philly definitely was an option. Lakers was an option always,” DeRozan said. “Clippers was an option. And the Heat… Those teams, for sure, were real personal, legitimate options that I was considering.”
DeRozan would have solved the Lakers’ backcourt issues
The Lakers could have really benefited from adding DeRozan, as he is still one of the game’s most efficient scorers despite his older age. Last season with the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 24 points per game and shot 48% from the floor, and ended the season with four consecutive 30-point games.
The Bulls had several injuries to the roster and were underwhelming, finishing as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and falling to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament to miss the playoffs altogether.
Despite his personal success, the Bulls were relatively unsuccessful during his time there, as they made the playoffs just one time and were a first-round exit to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. DeRozan struggled in that series, as he shot just 41% from the field and averaged 20.8 points.
Nevertheless, the Lakers would have had him as the team’s third option to James and Davis and given new head coach JJ Redick a valuable trio capable of going far in the Western Conference. The Lakers have struggled to add guard depth behind Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, and they may enter the season with the same backcourt problems that have given them trouble over the last couple of seasons.
How the Lakers will address that issue remains to be seen, but they will likely be thinking about how they missed out on adding a premier talent in free agency this offseason.