NEWSLETTER
When you know, you know.
Chicago Bulls General Manager Marc Eversley flew to Los Angeles earlier this week to convince DeMar DeRozan that the Windy City was the place to be. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the two sat down for a two-hour meeting, and we now have a few more details on just how well that meeting went:
“He was planning on meeting with the Clippers,” Haynes said on the Posted Up Podcast. “Then, about an hour later, I reported he is taking the Chicago Bulls deal. So, behind the scenes, this is what happened: The plan was for them to meet. The Clippers brass was driving on their way to DeMar’s house. Things got a little more interesting with the Bulls, and DeMar DeRozan’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, called – it looked like a deal was gonna get done with Chicago – he called the Clippers out of courtesy and he was like, ‘you know what, let’s not waste any time, out of respect for you guys, let’s cancel this meeting. He’s going to go elsewhere.’”
Soooo … that is awesome.
Despite a Western Conference squad literally en route, Eversley was able to ensure that DeRozan’s sights were sent on Chicago. Not to mention, Haynes went on to say the four-time All-Star was in line to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers later in the day as well. Sure, a three-year, $85 million deal probably had something to do with this quick decision (both LA teams would have had to do A LOT of cap maneuvering to offer DeRozan a sizable deal), but there is still something reassuring about how Eversley sealed this deal.
DeRozan said earlier this offseason that his free agency decision would be “all about winning.” The Lakers and Clippers are two teams who have done plenty of that as of late, whereas the Bulls are riding a playoff drought that stretches four seasons. Yet, through the power of persuasion, the front office was able to make DeRozan see the competitive picture. I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel a lot better about this team’s chances of finally becoming a consistently intriguing free-agent destination.
