New Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan wound up getting a three-year deal worth around $82 million in free agency, but before that, many were wondering if he was going to take a lot less money in order to sign with a team like the Los Angeles Lakers. Even after he got that contract, many people questioned why the Bulls would give him that much money.
In an interview with Shams Charania for Stadium, DeRozan opened up on the “disrespect” he felt when seeing those rumblings:
“For sure, definitely take it as disrespect, definitely take it as disrespect. But, you know, you see all the crazy stuff going on, you can't just jump out there and be like, ‘Nah, I'm not doing that, I'm not doing that.' You just kind of trust the process in the business … Chicago was always a team that was on my radar in free agency and everything, so I knew my whole approach the whole time. But you do get frustrated through the whole process. People saying, ‘You gotta do this, you gotta take this, or you taking this.' It's definitely frustrating. It definitely was frustrating.”
New Bulls star DeMar DeRozan sits down with @Stadium: “I haven’t played with a talent at that wing position like Zach (LaVine). I want to put everything I’ve been through in my career, share that with him, win together.” Also: Lakers, disrespect in free agency, being more vocal. pic.twitter.com/3dWWSZY5PC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 8, 2021
DeRozan did talk about his discussions with LeBron James and the Lakers, but that just didn't work out. There's no evidence that he was willing to take a contract worth the mid-level exception to join the Lakers or any other team. The contract he got from the Bulls is a bit much, but there's a wide gap between that deal and the mid-level.
Regardless, DeRozan and the Bulls are out to prove all the doubters wrong this season.
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