Chicago Bulls players that were stolen away from the Lakers: DeMar DeRozan
The lone player on this list that isn’t a former member of the Lakers, that is currently on the Bulls roster, is the former San Antonio Spurs star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan. LA looked to be a real option for DeRozan to sign with during the offseason along with the likes of the Clippers, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks, among other potential landing spots.
There is so much value that DeRozan brings to the table for the Bulls this season that it looks well worth it for the front office to give him the three-year contract worth north of $80 million in total. He’s looking like he will be an All-Star selection for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign with the way he’s played out of the gates this season.
The Lakers definitely missed out, from how DeRozan played out of the gates this season, on the ability to sign this four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team selection. Instead, the Lakers elected to trade for the former NBA MVP and star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards during the offseason.
The combination of DeRozan and first-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine is looking like one of the most potent scoring duos in the Eastern Conference this season. DeRozan is currently averaging 26.8 points per game this season, good for fourth in the NBA. And LaVine is averaging 26.4 points per game this season good for fifth in the NBA. These two are truly off to a stellar start in terms of scoring production during the regular season.