Sixers Rumors: Bulls' DeMar DeRozan Had Interest From 76ers, Knicks

For the third time in his career, DeMar DeRozan is on the move. The 2009 ninth overall pick spent a large chunk of his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors. After having a legendary stint with the Raptors through nine seasons, Toronto wanted to shake the roster up as they failed to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the championship during DeRozan's era on the team.

The star guard became the centerpiece of a trade that landed the Raptors Kawhi Leonard. Therefore, DeRozan became the face of the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the 2018-2019 NBA season. For the last three years, DeRozan played with the Spurs and maintained his high level of play as he averaged over 20 points each year.

Throughout his final season in San Antonio, DeRozan was linked to many contending teams that might look to trade for the standout guard. However, when the 2021 NBA trade deadline came and went, DeRozan remained in San Antonio.

But that all changed this offseason. As the Spurs are leaning more towards a rebuild, DeRozan wanted to join a competitor as he's 32-years-old and still in his prime. As expected, DeRozan had several suitors interested in his services. Among them was reportedly the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

"DeRozan garnered interest from several other teams early in free agency, such as Philadelphia, Portland, Phoenix, Golden State, Boston and New York. The Knicks quickly pivoted to splurge on Evan Fournier. For Golden State, acquiring DeRozan would have necessitated a complicated salary-matching sign-and-trade with the Spurs that would have sent out Kelly Oubre. But that framework never gained much traction, sources said. . .

"DeRozan never truly entertained that mid-level salary figure, sources said. The Bulls were the main franchise to actively pursue an agreement with DeRozan as free agency opened, while the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks prioritized chasing Kyle Lowry. Portland, Phoenix and Philadelphia would have needed to add DeRozan through intricate sign-and-trade scenarios, thus slowing their pursuits."

It's no secret the Sixers have been star hunting this offseason. As they are willing to move on from Ben Simmons, that would leave Philly with just Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris as the primary standouts on the team.

In previous years, San Antonio has shown interest in Simmons. Therefore, a potential sign-and-trade scenario to land DeRozan from San Antonio probably could've been an option for the Sixers. However, adding DeRozan wouldn't solve the Sixers' biggest issue, which is the absence of a true starting ball-handler.

The Sixers have a real need for a point guard that can create his own shot, drain threes consistently, and command the offense in critical situations. While DeRozan would've been a solid addition to the Sixers, it's clear that talks to acquire him didn't go too far. Therefore, he landed with the Chicago Bulls, who've built up quite the roster over the past week.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.