DeMar DeRozan: Signing Clippers Contract in 2021 Free Agency Was 'Real Possibility'

DeMar DeRozan said he came close to signing with the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason before eventually joining the Chicago Bulls. 

The five-time All-Star discussed the situation with Serge Ibaka on How Hungry Are You? (2:25):

"It really was a real possibility, but we got the deal done with Chicago," DeRozan said of potentially joining the Clippers.

The forward said he spoke to Paul George about heading to Los Angeles and even had a meeting scheduled with Clippers president Lawrence Frank, but he canceled the meeting at the last minute.

As DeRozan explained, he would have had to take a big pay cut to go to the Clippers, and he liked "the whole dynamic of the team" with Chicago.

It would have been a homecoming for DeRozan, who grew up in Compton, California, and went to USC. Joining a perennial playoff contender likely would have been viewed as another plus after falling short the past two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.

Instead, DeRozan joined the Bulls and turned them into a legitimate contender in his first season with the team.

The 32-year-old has been in the MVP conversation while averaging 28.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, leading Chicago to a 40-26 record. The team is just 3.5 games away from the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after going the last four years without a postseason appearance.

The Clippers could have used DeRozan's production with Kawhi Leonard recovering from a torn ACL and George missing much of the year with an elbow injury. L.A. entered Thursday with a 35-33 record, good for eighth in the Western Conference.