DeMar DeRozan considered Lakers, Clippers in free agency
09/09/2024 08:55 PM
The Los Angeles Clippers had a busy summer, completely overhauling their team around Kawhi Leonard. At one point, there was even a chance that the Clippers could’ve landed free agent and now Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan.
The Clippers ultimately saw Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Daniel Theis, Mason Plumlee, Brandon Boston, and Moussa Diabate all depart in free agency. That gave the Clippers a few options to retool their team.
DeMar DeRozan chose Kings over Clippers, Lakers
When free agency began, everyone expected to wait on Paul George and his decision. He made it rather quickly, choosing to sign a four-year, $212 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Soon after, Klay Thompson, OG Anunoby, LeBron James, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Hartenstein, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, James Harden, and Tobias Harris all signed deals with their new teams.
It took a few days, but DeMar DeRozan ultimately found the Sacramento Kings, who facilitated a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls to acquire him. DeRozan signed a three-year, $74 million deal with $3 million in unlikely incentives.
DeRozan was a recent guard on “Podcast P with Paul George” on Monday, and that’s where the Kings guard explained why he ultimately joined the Kings in free agency.
“I was just looking for an opportunity to win at a high level wherever that was going to be,” DeMar DeRozan told Paul George on Podcast P. “[Sacramento] came about, and they were showing interest, like real interest. When I sat back and looked at it, and analyzed the team. Great players. Great coach. I just always remember the last couple years of always seeing them light this damn beam and winning and all that.
“For sure got a movement. That’s definitely one thing you always want to be a part of is a contagious culture of an organization that wants to win. When I looked at all that, I just felt like it fit.”
With Sacramento, DeRozan will now join forces with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, who has been a great duo, but not great enough to get past the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Kings are hopeful he’ll take them over the top.
DeMar DeRozan considered Lakers, Clippers
Aside from the Kings, DeMar DeRozan says there were four other teams he considered: the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Miami Heat.
“Philly definitely was an option,” DeRozan said. “Lakers was an option always. Clippers was an option. And the Heat was an option too. Those teams, for sure, were real personal, legitimate options that I was considering.”
DeMar DeRozan says he seriously considered the LA Clippers in free agency this summer.
"Philly definitely was an option. Lakers was an option always. Clippers was an option. And the Heat… Those teams, for sure, were real personal, legitimate options that I was considering." pic.twitter.com/JGAYusWGM5
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 9, 2024
With a few other moves, the Clippers were able to open up the non-taxpayer midlevel exception and the bi-annual exception. Those probably weren’t going to be enough to land DeRozan.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said back in July that the Clippers and DeMar DeRozan did have interest in a partnership, but were unable to meet DeRozan’s price tag.
A similar situation happened back in the summer of 2021, when DeRozan signed a three-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs. DeRozan was reportedly en route to a free agency meeting with the LA Clippers, but canceled out of respect for them when informed of the Bulls’ offer.
The Clippers retooled their roster around Kawhi Leonard, re-signing James Harden while going out to get Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, Mo Bamba, Kevin Porter Jr., and Cam Christie.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were also interested in DeRozan’s services this summer, but, like the Clippers, struggled to make a competitive offer. The Lakers would’ve had to offload salaries and make a number of moves in order to get there, and it just never seemed like a real possibility.
At the time, Shams Charania also reported back in July that DeMar DeRozan and the Lakers never got past the “interested” phase.
DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings will tip off their 2024-25 regular season on October 24th against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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