Rewind back to the summer of 2021. The Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a co-star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Rumors were swirling that the front office was extremely interested in swinging a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan. The veteran himself even though it was a done deal, as he pointed out recently on JJ Redick's podcast. Then one morning in Mexico, he woke up to Kyle Lowry calling him and saying “I thought you were going to the Lakers? They just traded for Russell Westbrook.”
DeRozan was surprised and then had to figure out his next move. That's when the Chicago Bulls came calling, where he inked a three-year $85 million deal via sign-and-trade.
But what if the Lakers actually chose DeMar over Russ? Would they be better off right now? The answer is an absolute yes. To be frank, Westbrook's fit in LA was never right. Sure, they're hoping it works out in 2022-23, but he is a ball-dominant guard who doesn't want to play defense. On a roster with LeBron and AD, it's no surprise he struggled last season. Between his careless mistakes and poor shot selection, the 2021-22 campaign was a nightmare.
Russ is a future Hall of Famer and a tremendous player. But, as we've seen in past years, he floats around to different teams A LOT. There is a reason for that. If DeRozan ended up on the Lakers, there is no question they would've been much better off. He's not a huge playmaker but the All-Star is more than capable of playing off the ball and contributing in other ways. He's also a much better two-way player than Westbrook.
Also, LA could've likely got away without giving away so much talent in return for Russ if the deal was for DeRozan instead. The Spurs got received minimal players in return from Chicago. The Wizards meanwhile, acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 draft. At the very least, the Lakers could've kept KCP, one of their best perimeter defenders. Plus, LA would've saved money trading for DeRozan instead.
The Lakers make the playoffs with DeRozan on the roster last season and save money doing it. That's a guarantee. Obviously, that changes things for the Wizards and Bulls. Does Washington keep Westbrook? Or do they send him somewhere else? As for Chicago, well, their season would've gone much differently.
Following the signing of DeRozan, the Bulls also brought in Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball. Of course, they made the playoffs for the first time in five years, even though it resulted in a first-round exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. Nevertheless, DeRozan made a drastic difference for Billy Donovan's squad, forming a lethal partnership with Zach LaVine and easily serving as Chicago's best player en route to an All-Star appearance. Some brutal injury luck hurt the Bulls down the line, but regardless, he was a focal point of this squad.
As they say, everything happens for a reason. Bulls fans are delighted to have DeMar DeRozan on their side. Lakers fans meanwhile, can only dream about what if could've been like if DeRozan was in purple and gold instead of Russ. They might be even more frustrated with LA's decision to choose Westbrook over DeMar if the aforementioned fails to deliver in the upcoming campaign once again.
But maybe, just maybe, Darvin Ham can bring the best out of Russ. We'll see.
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