DeMar DeRozan Was 'Hellbent' on Joining Lakers, Was 'Confused' by Westbrook Trade

DeMar DeRozan said he was "hellbent" on joining the Los Angeles Lakers last year before the team traded for Russell Westbrook.

DeRozan, who ultimately landed with the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal, explained Thursday on The Old Man and The Three podcast (21:25 mark of video) the Lakers were the "only option" in his mind and he was "confused" by the Westbrook trade.

"To my knowledge, I thought it was a done deal," he said about his talks with L.A., later adding it was a "tough moment because in my mind I was going to be a Laker."

The Lakers possessed enough financial flexibility during the 2021 free-agent period to add one star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. DeRozan, a native of nearby Compton, California, was heavily rumored as a top target to fill that void.

Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported in November there was some debate among Los Angeles' brass about who to target last summer but there "weren't enough key backers" for DeRozan, which led the team to push forward with the Westbrook deal instead.

It was a forgettable first season with the Lakers for the 2016-17 NBA MVP, which played a key role in the team missing the playoffs with a 33-49 record. He ranked tied for 232nd out of 250 qualified players in FiveThirtyEight's WAR metric.

Westbrook's struggles along with DeRozan's resurgent year in Chicago—he ranked seventh in the NBA by scoring 27.9 points per game—makes it easy to call the decision a mistake in hindsight, though it was less clear 12 months ago.

The issue was compounded over this summer as the Lakers were unable to find a taker for Westbrook on the trade market, which means they're on track to enter the 2022-23 campaign with the same core trio that failed to produce results last season.

DeRozan's comments, while not a major surprise, do rub a little salt in the wound of the growing number of mistakes L.A.'s front office has made since winning the 2020 NBA title.

The Lakers did re-sign James to a two-year contract extension in August, which ensures the team's championship window will remain open for a while longer, but making the right complementary moves will be crucial.

As it stands, Los Angeles is going to need a major bounce-back season from Westbrook or a blockbuster trade to return to the league's elite this season.

The outlook would be a lot more promising with DeRozan on the roster instead.