"I had the opportunity to play with one of greatest players of all time" - DeMar DeRozan reveals he was willing to take a pay cut during free agency to play alongside LeBron James

DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls sat down with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report to discuss a number of topics, including his move to the Bulls, the MVP race and him being the mid-range king. DeRozan has come back to life this season, reminding everyone how good he is. However, Taylor Rooks had a question for him in the “what-if” category, implying his presumed move to the LA Lakers before the 2021-22 season started.

There was talk of DeMar DeRozan returning home to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, but the franchise chose to put their trust in Russell Westbrook and a whole new roster. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen-Horton Tucker are the only players to have worn a Lakers jersey from the previous season still on the team.

Rooks asked DeRozan about the rumors of him being willing to take a pay-cut to join the Lakers, to which he was initially coy, saying:

“I never understood what was a pay cut though. I could have taken a dollar less, that’s a pay cut.”

After further inquiry, DeMar DeRozan threw light on it being a possibility and why he was open to doing so, saying:

“Yeah, it was an option. It was a real, realistic option. One, I wanted to go home. That was the opportunity for me to go home, you don’t get that opportunity often. You know, I got it before, but I decided to stay in Toronto.”

Even though the Lakers did not end up being DeMar DeRozan’s free-agency destination, it's safe to say that things worked out pretty well for him. The Chicago Bulls are second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-17 record. DeRozan leads the team in scoring, averaging 26.4 points. He also averages 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. The chemistry between him and Zach Lavine has been top-notch right from the start of the season.

Despite his success with the Chicago Bulls, it's hard not to think about what he could have done had he joined the LA Lakers. DeMar DeRozan went on to throw light on what the opportunity meant to him, saying:

“I had the opportunity to play with one of the greatest players of all-time, why not? It’s hard to turn that down. You know, and to want to compete for a championship, in your home town – like all those elements, just had lined up to allow me to consider a realistic pay cut.”

DeMar DeRozan’s season of revival

The 2021-22 season has been spectacular so far, for many reasons. The revival of DeRozan’s career is definitely one of them. After being traded from the Toronto Raptors, DeRozan played for the San Antonio Spurs for three seasons as the Spurs went through a rebuild.

DeMar DeRozan has been exceptional for the Chicago Bulls, proving to be a scoring threat every night. His mid-range jumpers this season have been unguardable and a delight for the fans to watch. DeRozan’s best scoring performance came in a loss against the Orlando Magic, as he scored 41 points on a 71.4% shooting night.

Despite having a revamped roster, the Chicago Bulls didn't take much time to get things going. Lonzo Ball, Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic fit perfectly well around DeRozan as starters, becoming title contenders in the process. Alex Caruso's addition was the cherry on top of the cake for the Chicago Bulls.