Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
Yeah not really sure where the confusion is coming from.
DeRozan is an all-star who just came off a season averaging 22/4/7 on 59%TS, immediately after a season where he averaged 22/5/6 on 60%TS. He's 2x All NBA, and has made extremely impressive strides as a passer in recent years: last season he had 32%AST on only 9%TOV - for comparison, Lonzo was 25%AST to 14%TOV.
DeMar can create his own shot at any moment, can get to the rim, draws FTs (and shoots them well), etc. He's just a better player than Lonzo right now: capable of performing just as well in a much larger and more demanding role.
Combine that with the fact that the Bulls only had one route to acquiring him, and it was through coughing up to the Spurs whereas Chicago was already paying an amount larger than we were reported to be willing to match to Lonzo, it's clear how SAS was able to extract a larger price for their co-operation than we were. No confusion necessary.