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After winning the NBA championship in 2020 and leveling the Boston Celtics with the joint-most NBA titles (17), the Los Angeles Lakers have failed to qualify for the NBA Finals in the last four seasons. To end their NBA title drought, the Lakers would be required to restructure their squad by adding experience to their roster. Recently, Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan talked about signing with the Purple and Gold outfit.
DeMar DeRozan, who was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 draft, will enter his 16th NBA season in 2025. The six-time All-Star will turn 35 in August this year and returned to form in the 2023-24 season as he averaged 24.0 points and 5.3 assists a game while shooting 48.0% from the field.
During the Run it Back podcast, the LA native, who grew up in Southern California and played his college basketball at USC, was asked about playing for the Lakers and DeRozan gave a positive response. He said, "When I was a kid, everybody know I’m a Kobe (Bryant) guy at the end of the day. Always been a Kobe guy, being a Laker fan since day one. You can’t never say no about playing home, especially if you’re playing for a historic team like the Lakers. So, time will tell. We’ll see where the cards fall. Until then, I’ll see what happens."
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The Lakers last won the NBA championship in 2020 as LeBron James led the young squad comprised of Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Dennis Schroder among others to win the title. In the next season, L.A. managed the seventh seed with a 42-30 record and lost 4-2 against the Phoenix Suns in Round 1.
LeBron James and co. failed to qualify for the playoffs the next season, however, they made a strong comeback in 2023 as they reached the Conference Finals, where the Denver Nuggets, who lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy that season, swept the Lakers 4-0. In the 2023-24 season, the Lakers were eliminated in the Western Conference first round 4-1 against the Nuggets in a rematch of the 2023 Conference Finals.
