NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Could Target DeMar DeRozan In Trade Talks
DeMar DeRozan has been the face of the Toronto Raptors franchise for a few years now and has shown major progress in his game, especially on the offensive end of the court. Unfortunately for the Raptors, no matter how good the team is during the regular season, they seem to come up short in the playoffs. That lack of playoff success has led to rumors that the Raptors could consider trading DeRozan or Kyle Lowry.
Now, it appears that there is a team considering making a run at acquiring DeRozan. According to a report from Chris Sheridan of GetMoreSports.com, the Lakers are considering making a run at the Raptors’ star scorer. There are a few other names listed as potential trade targets, but DeRozan is the one that we will take a look at now.
Adding a piece like DeRozan to the current Lakers’ roster would be intriguing. In order to acquire him, the Lakers would likely have to give up a combination of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. There is a chance that Toronto might demand draft pick compensation as well.
Last season with the Raptors, DeRozan was one of the top all-around wing players in the league. He averaged 23.0 points per game to go along with 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebound. DeRozan did see his scoring production go down from the previous season where he averaged 27.3 points.
At 28 years old, DeRozan is in his prime and a trade to the Lakers might be a good thing for his continued improvement. Playing with LeBron James isn’t easy, but DeRozan would likely compliment him very well.
The Lakers are considering DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, And John Wall as trade options this summer. ?? pic.twitter.com/hLcPvQWxUz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 4, 2018
Los Angeles is hoping to contend with the Golden State Warriors, but that task is bigger this year than it was last. Golden State was able to sign All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal worth just over $5 million. James doesn’t have a second star next to him at this point in time to take pressure off.
Kawhi Leonard has been a rumored trade target for the Lakers all offseason long. Los Angeles has not been willing to part with Ingram in the trade, however, which has made things stall between the two sides.
Magic Johnson has brought in players like Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to surround James. Those players are all solid role players, but none of them will be able to step up and shoulder a big portion of the scoring load against a team like the Warriors.
DeRozan would be able to be that legitimate No. 2 guy for the Lakers. The price tag may be high, but it would be worth it in the long run for L.A.
Expect to hear the Lakers mentioned in plenty of trade rumors throughout the remainder of the offseason. James and company aren’t far away from competing for a title and DeRozan might just be the guy to help get them there.
