Chicago Bulls newcomer DeMar DeRozan recently said he felt disrespected as a free agent when some folks suggested that he was going to take less money to join Kyle Lowry on the Miami Heat.
“For sure, definitely take it as disrespect,” DeRozan said of the rumors. “Definitely take it as disrespect. But you see all the crazy stuff going on. You can’t just jump out there and be like, ‘Nah, I’m not doing that. I’m not doing that.’ You just gotta kinda trust the process and the business and everything you was going through, and Chicago was always a team that was on my radar in free agency and everything. So I knew my whole approach the whole time, but you do get frustrated through the whole process of things.”
DeRozan and Lowry, of course, were teammates for many years on the Toronto Raptors. A lot of NBA fans wanted to see them reunite on the Heat, but it didn’t happen.
DeRozan is still searching for the first NBA title of his career. His time with the Raptors came to an end after the 2017-18 season. The team won a title the following year.
The 32-year-old will hope to help the Bulls challenge for a playoff bid in the 2021-22 season. Given some of Chicago’s offseason additions, the team could certainly make some noise in the upcoming campaign.
As for Lowry, he’s hoping to lead the Heat to an NBA championship this season. The veteran already has one ring to his name, and he’s looking for another.