The LA Lakers have been involved in countless trader rumors in just the past 24 hours alone — from LaMarcus Aldridge to Chris Paul, and even to Russell Westbrook.
Thanks to a recent report by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, we can throw DeMar DeRozan in the mix as well.
The Lakers have shown interest in trading for DeMar DeRozan, reports @KevinOConnorNBA.
Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green would likely be included in the package.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 12, 2020
DeRozan, 31, was traded to the Spurs in 2018 after spending 9 seasons with the Raptors. The Raptors would go on to win the Championship the very next season while DeRozan and his new team remained perpetually stuck in the middle.
In the past two seasons, the Spurs finished with a combined record of 80-73 and famously missed the playoffs this past campaign for the first time in over two decades. DeRozan himself missed the All-Star team both years, averaging just 21.6 points per game over his 145 game tenure so far.
To date, there have been several rumblings that the San Antonio swingman wants out, though it should be noted that he did deny those rumors last month in a rather cryptic post on Instagram.
With the validity of those rumors still unknown, it seems the Lakers have taken it upon themselves to sniff at the possibility of trading for him. Giving up Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green (who both struggled mightily in the playoffs) seems like a relatively small price to pay for a 4x All-Star.
Of course, that is not accounting for concerns about his questionable fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are at their best when surrounded by capable and consistent shooters on the perimeter (something DeMar is not).
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers from office have remained eerily quiet on their plans this offseason, even as rumors and whispers from the community have continued to run rampant. Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see for ourselves how it all plays out in the end.
