During Tuesday’s episode of SportsCenter, NBA Insider for ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski reported that teams like the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in signing DeMar DeRozan. However, due to limited available funds, DeRozan may be better off signing a one-year contract for the 2024-2025 season. By choosing a one-year contract at a lower amount, DeRozan may become a free agent again next season, when more teams are expected to have cap space.
“Well, I think there’s interest in DeMar DeRozan, but the kind of contract that he might want just is not going to be available. The Lakers have an interest. How do they acquire DeMar DeRozan? That becomes a much different scenario. LeBron James has talked about a willingness to take significantly less money to open up their mid-level exception. I think in DeMar DeRrozan’s case, and it may not be as appealing to him, but it may look like a one-year deal somewhere.” Wojnarowski said.
Lakers Reportedly Eyeing Sign-and-Trade Deal with DeRozan for Three-Year Contract
The Lakers would need a sound strategy to add DeRozan to the franchise. According to Wojnarowski, a sign-and-trade deal would involve DeRozan signing a three-year contract. This would prevent him from exploring other options in the upcoming summer when the salary cap is expected to increase.
“Let the market reset next year because if you do a sign-and-trade, it’s got to be at least three years. And now you’re locked into a three-year deal at a number you may not like. The Lakers are interested, but is there a mechanism that would allow them to create a slot to acquire him. That’s going to be the harder part. It’s tough when you give out the big money; there’s not always money left for a guy like DeMar DeRozan, who was an All-Star recently, but we’ll see what happens with him.” Wojnarowski added
Another ESPN insider also gave an opinion on the DeRozan trade. Brian Windhorst mentioned that DeRozan is on the list of players LeBron James would feel good about taking less money to bring to the Los Angeles Lakers. He also mentioned that free agent Klay Thompson is on the list.
