DeMar DeRozan has a lot of decisions to make during his free agency. The former All-Star has seen his career stagnate a little bit with the San Antonio Spurs. And given his age, DeRozan is witnessing his championship window close. This is why he is looking to join a contender during this free agency period. For the most part, DeRozan is still young and can contribute as a key member of a championship team, while not being the focal point. DeRozan is one of the most sought-after stars in this year’s free agency class, due to the lack of big names in this year’s class.
For the most part, DeRozan has been linked with a move to his hometown of Los Angeles. The two teams that have been linked with him the most are the Los Angeles Lakers or the LA Clippers. DeRozan’s potential move to the Lakers was garnering the most interest, with many analysts and fans speculating that DeRozan could be on his way to the Lakers. But over the week, the Los Angeles Lakers executed a trade to bring former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. This puts serious restrictions on the Lakers with regards to the salary cap and puts any potential move for DeRozan in jeopardy.
Lakers, Clippers may eye DeRozan, but don’t bet on him taking steep pay cut https://t.co/832SiL2a4H
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) August 1, 2021
Reports suggest that DeRozan will not accept a move to the Los Angeles Lakers or the LA Clippers if it means he has to take a pay cut. Earlier, DeMar had indicated that he was open to leaving money on the table, but these reports suggest that is not the case. DeRozan wants a move to Los Angeles but clearly wants to maximize his potential earnings, despite the dip in form he has experienced over the last few years.
For DeRozan, the Russell Westbrook trade has significantly hampered his chances to move to LA. He could of course join the LA Clippers, but they would have to execute a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs in order to accommodate DeRozan in the team’s salary cap. But at the moment, there is no further development beyond this. It will be interesting to see where DeRozan ends up going.
