Breaking: DeMar DeRozan finally sign to Los Angeles Lakers for $50 million contract.
The L.A. Lakers are trying not to be left behind by the rest of the Western Conference during NBA Free Agency 2024. They’ve been aggressive with multiple players, the most recent being All-Star DeMar DeRozan .
TNT NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported that DeRozan’s agent has been in communication with the Lakers. He provided details on what it would take for DeRozan to suit up in the purple and gold:
“It will either take a one-year deal or a sign-and-trade where you can get a three-year deal going.”
The Lakers are handicapped in their ability to add high-level talent through free agency. It was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that LeBron James was willing to take a pay cut to allow the Lakers to sign another star, but after Klay Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks, James is expected to sign a max contract with LA.
The assets that the Lakers have to facilitate a sign-and-trade would include point guard D’Angelo Russell . The former Ohio State guard opted into his player option and cited the hiring of JJ Redick as a pivotal factor in his decision.
However, the Lakers have been using Russell as a trade piece in an attempt to acquire talent to pair alongside James and Anthony Davis , which could be DeRozan.
Figuring out destinations where DeRozan would thrive is not the easiest thing to do. It isn’t due to the former three-time All-NBA member being a bad basketball player, but more so that his skill set isn’t the easiest to integrate into different offensive schematics.
DeRozan is a notorious mid-range assassin and one of the best in the history of the league at it. His lack of consistent three-point shooting limits his versatility offensively, but for a team like the Lakers that needs every bit of offense, DeRozan could step up as a consistent scorer.
