Various free agents were linked to the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 2015-16 season. When it came down to it, no big names traveled to Tinseltown, including DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan was perhaps the most likely free agent to become a Laker. As a Los Angeles native, the Raptors‘ guard had a little more incentive to join the ailing Lakers than primetime free agents like Kevin Durant and Hassan Whiteside. However, none of the three even granted the Lakers a meeting.

For Durant, it was about joining a team ready to compete for titles, which currently the Lakers are not. For Whiteside, it was about being the future of a franchise in Miami with the Heat. For DeRozan, it was about creating a legacy.

Per Mark Medina of the LA Daily News:

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“When you have an opportunity to go home, that’s something that certainly would cross your mind. But it wasn’t anything,” DeRozan told Southern California News Group. “After I finish playing, I’m pretty sure I’ll live in L.A. But I just wanted to do something special and leave a legacy of my own in Toronto.”

In the end, it doesn't seem that anything that happens in Toronto will change how much DeRozan loves Los Angeles – but that doesn't mean he's looking to leave.

Alongside teammate Kyle Lowry, DeRozan has built an Eastern Conference contender in Toronto. If the duo can lead the Canadian franchise to the NBA Finals, they may even leave the legacy DeRozan hopes to achieve.

[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/derozan-appears-take-shot-durant-comments-re-signed-toronto/”]NEXT: DeRozan seems to take shot at Durant in comments about re-signing with Toronto[/button]