L.A.'s best NBA team might be east of the Mississippi

LOS ANGELES — Among the free agents pursued by the Chicago Bulls last summer were DeMar DeRozan, the Compton born-and-raised former USC star, and Alex Caruso, the Lakers guard whose rise from the NBA's minor league to an invaluable contributor on its biggest stage left him so beloved in Los Angeles that even before the Lakers' 2020 championship run, his face had been painted on a mural on Melrose Avenue.

Both felt a pull to play this season in L.A.

"I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I wanted to come home," DeRozan said last month in an interview with Golden State's Draymond Green, hinting at interest from both the Lakers and Clippers. "I did try to make it happen."

So did Caruso. Even after the Lakers had offered a deal well below his market value — two years