Veteran guard DeMar DeRozan has interest in the possibility of joining the Lakers, as does his former Raptors teammate Kyle Lowry, reports Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Both DeRozan and Lowry will be unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Turner cites sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter who say that DeRozan – a Compton native who played his college ball at USC – would be willing to accept less than the $27.7MM he earned with the Spurs this past season in order to play for his hometown team.
The Lakers are said to be seeking a veteran play-maker, having been linked earlier in the week to Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, so it stands to reason the team would have interest in DeRozan and Lowry as well. Lowry was a target at the March trade deadline. However, as we noted when we discussed L.A.’s interest in Paul and Westbrook, the club’s cap limitations won’t make it easy to land an impact player this summer.
Unless DeRozan or Lowry is willing to accept a deal in the range of the mid-level exception to join the Lakers, a sign-and-trade would likely be necessary to accommodate one or the other. The Lakers would need the cooperation of the Spurs or Raptors to complete a sign-and-trade and would be hard-capped at the tax apron for the 2021/22 season as a result.
That scenario would also likely require the Lakers to dump some of their current guaranteed contracts besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis, then fill out their roster primarily with minimum-salary players. It’s not inconceivable, but it would be a challenge — and it’s not a given that sacrificing multiple role players to land a single veteran would improve the team’s title chances.
Turner also reports that Spencer Dinwiddie – who may be less expensive in 2021/22 than DeRozan or Lowry – has interest in joining the Lakers too. That echoes a previous report that stated Dinwiddie would be interested in playing for either Los Angeles team.
We’ll have to wait to see what happens with the Lakers and their various targets, but as Marc Stein points out in his latest newsletter, it’s noteworthy that there has been “seemingly daily discussion” about the possibility of L.A. pursuing guards with All-Star résumés. While it’s possible the team is just doing its due diligence and creating some leverage in its Dennis Schröder negotiations, it feels increasingly likely that Schröder could end up signing elsewhere.
A laker sport writer is making news by saying 2 players want to play for the lakers. So what did they say it might be nice to play there. There is way to many rumors that have 0 base for facts just sport writers trying to get people to read his article.
It’s the same as a warriors beat writer saying Beal would like to be traded to the warriors if traded or a Knicks writer saying Knicks are the top choice for dame if he request a trade ! They all do it bc their sources are with or around the team , it rarely proves true
To many sport writers throwing stuff at the wall and hope it sticks. I just don’t understand how Beal would make warriors better if they give up Wiggins, Wiseman and their 2 draft picks. Beal is no top 10 player from my perspective.
NBA tax apron $142.6 Million 2021-22 season
Lakers current 5 active players $118 Million
Lakers have $25 million to spend for 8 players
my fake trade idea
Lakers get Lowry $18M
Raptors get Schroeder $18M
At this point, Lakers salary at $136 million
The rest 8 players get $0.8 million each
Total team salary $142.4.
It works, but its terrible idea.
There are better routes thru trades that wont involve the tax apron and hard capping
They are going to need outside help from a team but it just takes 1 solid trade
The vet mins will be huge IMO – I like Melo Dwight and McGee if they are willing to go min……Morris on a re-sign for min as well….will need 1~2 adequate guards as well on mins. Pelinka shouldn’t sleep for more than 4 hrs a night next 4 weeks, boy does he have his work cut out for him
Worked on you!
Lowry would make them a dangerous team.
If the three stars can stay healthy (and two of them are really old). If any go out, they’re gonna be really bad since they’ll have almost nothing else.
LebUm needs more help
Being a Bron hater proves nothing more than your lack of love for basketball. Even if you on team MJ is goat, you have to have Bron right behind him. The slander because Lebron beat your team for the last 20 years is ridiculous
The problem is not with LeBron’s basketball skills. He is just one of the more unlikable players in recent memory and I am not talking about his political stance at all.
He routinely makes himself look like a jackass with his hot takes…good at basketball though. Loved him in space jam.
Y’all act like Kobe was a nice guy
He’s partial to the clippers who factually have a bleaker present and future then the lakers , and it’s quite bad for both just worst for the team that sold all out to try and win their first ever title and it’s just not gonna happen
take ur meds lmao
LeBron is behind Jordan, and Kareem, and Bill Russell (maybe Magic too).
Bron haters make me laugh. MJ was such a like able guy.
Let’s just see how the players will be allowed to circumvent the salary cap in order to create another super team. I wonder if they will be able to use the Nets’ trick of buying everyone in their family a house or if they will have to come up with a new “loophole.”
House? Kawahi’s getting an island w an air strip from Ballmer !
Good thing Schroeder didn’t sign, he wasn’t really effective in a starting role.
It probably would have been better for Lakers if he had signed that extension. At 4 years $80m it would be a more tradeable contract + Lakers would be able to trade him anywhere. Now it has to be a Sign and Trade so he has to sign off on which team he is being traded to and he wants more money so the team he’s being traded has to be willing to take Shroder for probably $100m
Shroder would need to go to one of their former teams or do a 3 way trade. That is a very tough request to make it happen. If he was as great of a player he thinks he is then the Lakers would just sign him.
Tht and Dennis for
Lowry and kcp and kuz for d rozan . Sound fair to
Me
It has to be hard capped, Lakers fans. It means other Lakers free agents agree to vet min contracts
Cost saving
9m is not enough
SNT is needed
Who else thinks Bron is done after this contract (two more years)? He seems more into his movie career anyhow (not as an actor, I hope). Then they trade AD to start over. So they’ve got a very limited window. Time to throw everything at the short term.
Lebron just resigned for 3 more years not two, with an option for the 4th. Davis has 4 more guaranteed and is 27/28 years old. Lebron just said he wants to retire a laker so it plausible he could sign extension. Sorry to burst your bubble
Once two things happen he is done. 2024 is I think the first year Bronny could play. He has the ability to become a FA the same year his son is draft eligible, so he can theoretically sign with the team that drafts his son, since he cant be sure it would be the Lakers. The other thing is if his skills deteriorate. I dont think he wants to hang around being Udonis Haslam barely playing. If Lebron cant start and be LBJ he calls it. I dont see him hanging on as a bench player unless its for one season to set a bunch of records or something.
Would be funny if cavs got him and lebron end his career with the cavs
He will do what any smart person would do…Access his best chances after 23 to win another ring …If its Lakers w AD and a complete open ledger then he will re-sign, if its somewhere else he will go
My Q is will he take a paycut?, which for him is almost nothing (He just went over a billion this year in career earnings!) That will be really telling for me as a “walk a mile in his head/shoes” as to where his allegiances/brainpower/greed lies
** LeBrons playing 5 more years- He will be a power forward in the latter stages – He was just in the MVP convo the last 2 years and you guys think its over?
No I was saying the opposite. He wont retire until he is able to play with his son and be the first player to do that, and or age catches up and he cant be the player he was anymore. He looks like he has plenty left but age plus injuries can fell even the greatest careers.
LeBron signed a 2-year/$85.7M extension before the start of last season. He will be a free agent in 2023 (at age 38), there are no option years. Sorry to burst your bubble.
So who is taking Kuzma? SAS or Tor?
Since raptors might be in Mimi rebuild mode I’ll say raptors would want tht not kuz and Spurs probably take kuz
Man I don’t know if it’s lakers fans or lakers themselves but they seem convinced Schroeder has some big trade value or something! Lakers bought high off him coming off a career outlier year in 2019 an he returned back to being a poor shooting low efficiency volume scorer! He deserves a pay decrease not a raise from his salary last year ! Now teams are gonna over pay him and send lakers value back for the right to do so? Get real lakers either overpay him fo keep or lose him for nothing! The latter is better
LBJ on the phone begging Kawhi, CP3, Lowry, DeRozan, John Collins, and Jarrett Allen to play for the league minimum deals. No matter no how many titles he ends up with MJ always the GOAT.
Hearing voices and feeling that obsession again?
It’s just like with his new movie, why else would LeBron do a sequel to Space Jam unless it was to try and prove he should be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. But alas, he will always be #4 (at best) behind MJ, Kareem, and Bill Russell.
I think Wilt belongs in there too.
I’m sure his feelings are hurt being mentioned in that same conversation
DS knows that LA cant really replace him though without dumping most every non minimum contract besides LBJ/AD so they can roll there dice on ring chasers taking minimum deals, or pay DS. It will also cost more since once you resign DS your in the tax so he will cost like 30% more then the deal actually pays year one.
Its like Oubre with the Warriors. Is he a perfect fit? Do they want to give him a starting job? Can they replace him with anyone near as talented on a vet min? He isnt perfect and will cost a lot, but if you pay him to make Wiggans your sixth man once Klay is starting, and sign a wing with the MLE and a vet big for the minimum your a better team then subtracting Oubre for a min salary wing player.
Neither team wants the player in an ideal world, but getting value for them leaving requires to many things going right. I expect both teams to make an effort to resign both DS/KO just because thats a player they are allowed to pay, and neither team is ahead of the pack enough to let salary slots for above minimum players walk away.
Neither the Lakers nor the Warriors are in a position to add a quality veteran to improve their respective team next season. Both of them will likely remain in the 7-10 range in the West and their only chance of reaching the postseason lies with the play-in tournament.
Both of them dealt with injuries last season, I’d say they will be in much better shape if they remain relatively healthy next season…but go ahead and knock them down since that’s all that a Rockets fan has to look forward to
If DeRozan is willing to take a massive pay cut like said, why not sign and trade Kuzma for him. Spurs are already high on Kuzma.
Then already you have a third star
If Lakers wanted to deal Kuzma they would have already at this past trade deadline. IMO if Lakers offered Kuzma for Derek Rose the Pistons would of done that before trading Rose to NY. Rose or Lowry should of been Lakers
Rose been with Bron and didn’t work. Plus I’d have Lowry Russ or DeRozan over Rose
So what better get two guys for the price of Russ or get one guy and have to figure out how to fill the rest of the roster since they would have 3 guys that make around 100 mill in total
LAL have been trying to trade Kuzma for 2 years. They do (or at least did) want something of value for him, and that’s the reason it hasn’t happened. With a real contract now (vs his RSC) it’s even more unlikely he’ll net them more than the privilege of giving the trade partner one of their draft picks. If they can do better without taking back any contracts they don’t want, they should do it – if only for the TPE.
I think there’s still a tiny bit of magic dust still attached to Kuzma under the umbrella that playing his role on the Lakers the last 2 years would not be ideal for ANYBODY –
He also plays the stretch 4 a coveted position for those who don’t have one – He’s not worth Malik Beasley but If you can find a team that is flooded with guards and needs a stretch 4 like Minny there could be a good salary swap while getting back something of need/value –
I dont know if Kuzma +22 is enough for Malik but Id def give it a try – Minny wants into back into this draft too… Feel Minny is going to sell Malik low to someone and they aren’t necessarily known for avoiding bad trades
It probably does work for MIN, but a big reason being their desire to move a big backcourt contract. Rubio might be their first choice, but Beasley would likely be next.
No doubt w Rubio and they may well find a sucker for him…I find it hard to believe they would “sell” off a future pick again tho to get him out and dont see a logistical fit via trade that works for everyone w his salary inc
I personally would just wait it out if I was Minny and have next year just be {another} growing year as painful as that is – They can decline Culver next year and Rubio completely falls off…Id want to keep Malik long term ……. But Minny always wants to jump the gun it seems so if Im Pelinka Im in contact daily w Minny.
Kobe ranks higher than LeBum top.
I don’t see the SAS helping the Lakers via a S&T unless it was a SIGNIFICANT overpay (which we don’t have)
They better hope Tor is still high on THT or move up to 3 for Mobley (not taking Suggs)
Spurs were famously anti-LA during the ADavis crisis. I doubt that has changed.
Oh yea Spurs have been anti Laker since the mid 90’s
I personally like it, and Love Pop , sports needs these little bickering’s Imo ….baseball has lost all rivalries it seems (besides Cubs v Cards Ofc but thats just more about good ole fashioned midwest fued’N )
I bet TOR would make something of Kuzma.
Lakers cannot keep everyone so they could move Talen too. If Lowery really wants LA or it’s too complicated for the 6ers, I could see this.
DDR, Spurs, no.
Too bad for Caruso if Lowery joins Lakers, esp if it works oncourt, which it probably would. Alex should move on too, to be a starter. He has a title already.
Mayber TOR in place of Talen… Vanvleet might prefer 2G!
I love Caruso but think he’s best suited on the bn and capped at 25 mins per
He plays too hard and is a touch too fragile to be a FT starter – I think Alex stays tho via bird but have Schroder Trez and Kuzma in different uniforms opening night
Im w Ya tho, Lowry is probably best Lakes can do
Players have the leverage when they’re free agents.
Sign and trade teams either take what the Lakers offer or potentially lose the player for nothing.
SO ………. Yeah how’s this work.
Why do you care about this nonsense. These writers say move and you move. Lakers are done. This is a retirement home now. I’m thinking of sending my dad there.
Idk, I mean it seems a lot of really good players want to come play here unsolicited
Do they think the same?
You trying to get your dad a ring, got it
I actually hope to see them get Lowry. Think he makes the most sense for this team and can still play.
Sign and trade Schroder for Lowry.
Trade Kuzma for derozan.
The Lakers would be in a lot better shape if AD and Bron would sign 1 year contracts