DeMar DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star, was candid about the Los Angeles Lakers' decision to pass on him in 2021 and again this summer.
In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, DeRozan stated that he intended to return home and play for the Lakers during the 2021 NBA free agency period.
However, the Lakers passed him up in favor of Russell Westbrook, a move that ultimately backfired.
"Yeah, you just learn how to deal with it from a business standpoint," DeRozan told Amick of the Lakers' 2021 decision.
"Obviously, I have selfish motivations for wanting to play at home, but it doesn't always work out that way. And it may not always be the best decision for me.
So after that didn't happen, I didn't think about it. I wasn't angry. They made their decision, and I simply left it at that."
DeRozan instead joined the Chicago Bulls, where he earned his sixth All-Star selection in his rookie season before being sidelined by injuries to teammates Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine.
DeRozan stated that the canceled 2021 opportunity with the Lakers prepared him mentally when discussions about another prospective spell with the Lakers surfaced this offseason.
"Yeah. DeRozan told Amick, "Yeah, it did [seems like it will happen]." "But after the last time, the last circumstance, you don't raise your hopes too high. That was perhaps the closest I'd gotten before going to Chicago (in 2021).
Even I expected it to be like that. But when that didn't happen, I didn't have high expectations since you can see how it may turn out."