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Everyone knows by now that LeBron James tried to recruit DeMar DeRozan to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. All along, however, fans and experts alike thought that it was the Russell Westbrook trade that killed the team's chances of getting DeRozan.
According to new information from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, though, the Lakers actually passed on DeRozan. Apparently, while LeBron wanted to pair up with him in LA, Rob Pelinka and the front office refused to give him a three-year deal. To recall, the veteran wing signed a three-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls.
Haynes made the revelation in a Twitter Space on Tuesday. While there is no video recording of the discussion, several Twitter users who watched the Space corroborated the report. A lot of people also pinned the blame on Pelinka and the Lakers' front office over the failure to sign DeRozan and opting to trade for Westbrook instead.
Prior to that, LA and NBA fans in general have been criticizing LeBron for allegedly forcing the team to trade for Russ.
Chris Haynes just confirmed that LeBron and the FO wanted Demar first, but the FO not wanting to give Demar a 3 year deal (to open up space in 2023) made them pivot to Russ instead… Nah man, I’m sick. This the same thing they did with Ty Lue and Caruso.
— Dom (@Dom__) March 16, 2022
CHRIS HAYNES JUST CONFIRMED! Lebron wanted derozan and they thought it was a done deal but the organization didn’t want to give derozan a 3 year deal. So the ORGANIZATION/GM PASSED ON DEMAR DEROZAN and pivoted to Westbrook. PELINKA 100% to blame. I said it from jump pic.twitter.com/juN5qtx0kI
— Coach James 🇭🇹 (@JamesEdrick3) March 16, 2022
Chris Haynes confirmed what we already knew. LeBron wanted Demar and thought it was a done deal but Rob and Jeanie wouldn’t offer 3 years. So they moved onto Russ or hield.
Even after Chris Haynes says this y’all still gonna find a way to blame Bron.
— 6THRINGONTHEWAYYY🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@5thringontheway) March 16, 2022
Of course this wouldn't be a big issue had the Russell Westbrook acquisition worked. Unfortunately, that has not been the case at all as the explosive guard continues to struggle playing in the Lakers' system. While he has shown flashes of brilliance, that is all there is to it: flashes.
LeBron James is carrying the team to some wins, but the burden seems to be too heavy for him. In the last five games he played for the Lakers, they only won in the two games he scored at least 50 points.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan is thriving in Chicago, leading the team in scoring with 28.0 points on top of 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He has also been really clutch for the Bulls, saving them from the verge of defeat in multiple occasions.
It's unknown if DeRozan would have found the same success had he joined LeBron in LA. However, it is certainly a big “What if” that could have a major impact on the team. In the end, hindsight is 20/20 and the Lakers cannot do anything now but try to make things work.
They still have a chance to make the playoffs through the play-in, though whether or not they can win a postseason game is an entirely different matter.
