DeMar DeRozan grew up in the Los Angeles area, and it has been widely reported that the free agent would like to play there. While the Lakers may no longer be an option, the Clippers remain interested in the four-time All-Star.
DeRozan was scheduled to meet with the Clippers on Tuesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports. The 31-year-old old is also being pursued by the Chicago Bulls and likely some other teams.
As Haynes notes, the Clippers can currently only offer DeRozan the mid-level exception of $5.9 million. That is way below market value for a 31-year-old player who averaged 21.6 points and 6.9 assists per game last season. One way for the Clippers to acquire DeRozan at a higher salary would be via a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs, though it’s unclear if the Spurs would have interest.
There have been some reports that DeRozan would give the Lakers a discount, so it’s unclear if the same applies for the Clippers. However, we doubt he is desperate enough to play in L.A. that he is willing to give up an enormous amount of money just to do it.
