DeMar DeRozan Reveals Paul George Talked With him to Join Clippers
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DeMar DeRozan was linked to joining the LA Clippers during the off-season, but he's never publicly spoken about it - until now.
DeRozan was a guest on Serge Ibaka's 'How Hungry Are You' show, where he discussed the serious possibility of joining the LA Clippers, and his conversations with Paul George.
"It could've been a day earlier, it would've worked," DeRozan said. "It really was a real possibility. We got the deal done with Chicago... I talked to PG about it, we was really talking about it, we was really trying to figure it out to make it happen. What needed to be figured out, didn't get figured out. I'm being dead serious, no bullshit. I haven't even talked about it. It was a real opportunity.”
Regardless of how interested DeMar DeRozan was in joining the Clippers, it was ultimately just too much of a money difference. The Clippers would have offered the MLE or TPMLE, while the Chicago Bulls offered a three-year, $81 million deal. A pay cut is one thing, but that wasn't just a pay cut - it was generational money.
"Less money, and a pay cut is two different things," DeRozan said.
Fortunately, things seemed to work out well for both sides. DeRozan is having a rejuvenated career season with the Chicago Bulls, and the Clippers got their shooting guard in Norman Powell. This season couldn't have gone any better for DeMar DeRozan.
