DeMar DeRozan was without a doubt one of the biggest names in free agency in the summer of 2021. He eventually ended up signing with the Chicago Bulls on a three-year, $82 million deal. This was far from a straightforward decision for the six-time All-Star, though, with DeRozan supposedly coming close to signing with a different team before ultimately taking his talents to Chicago.

DeRozan was recently asked to reflect on this tumultuous period in his career. Everyone wants to know which team supposedly offered him a lowball contract that forced him to walk away from the negotiation table completely. At this point, however, DeMar still isn't ready to name any names:

“Just go see who I scored 40 points against,” DeRozan said, via NBA beat reporter Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

The reporter then pointed out that the Bulls star has dropped 40 points on a handful of teams already since he joined Chicago. DeRozan had the perfect response:

“Maybe it’s all of them,” he said.

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Scotty White ·

Bulls, Heat, NBA play-in tournament, Coby White, Bulls Heat, Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo with Heat arena in the background

Scotty White ·

Miami Heat star Tyler Herro next to Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan in front of the Kaseya Center.

Zachary Weinberger ·

For what it's worth, DeMar DeRozan scored 40 or more points against five teams last season. They were the Los Angeles Clippers, The Philadelphia 76ers, the Orlando Magic, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Milwaukee Bucks. This season, he's surpassed the 40-point mark four times — against the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bucks (again), and the Magic (again).

The team that's missing from that list is the Los Angeles Lakers, who many believed was going to be DeMar DeRozan's landing spot when he became a free agent a couple of years back. The two parties failed to negotiate a deal, though, (the Lakers decided to go with Russell Westbrook instead) which may have left a bit of a sour taste in DeRozan's mouth. He hasn't scored 40 against LA since joining the Bulls, but he did drop 38 on them twice last season.