DeMar DeRozan Gets Traded To His Home-Town Team In The Lakers
Spurs Receive: Kyle Kuzma ($3.5M 2020-21 Salary), Danny Green, Talen Horton-Tucker ($1.5M), LAL 2020 1st Round Pick (Pick #28), LAL 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected)
Lakers Receive: DeMar DeRozan ($27.7M)
The hometown kid coming back to his city and joining the team he grew up idolizing? You cannot script it any better. DeMar DeRozan trade rumors have been circulating since the trade deadline of last season and the Los Angeles Lakers are at the forefront of these rumors.
The 2020 NBA Champions are looking to add firepower around LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan would be the latest star talent to team up with James if the Spurs decide to trade him.
DeRozan was a part of the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in 2018, ultimately leading to the Raptors’ first NBA Championship in franchise history. DeRozan was beloved by Raptors fans and it was hard to see him go, but he found a way to make things work in San Antonio and is still playing at a high level.
The 31-year-old California native averaged 22.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 53.1% from the floor and 25.7% from three-point range in 68 games with the Spurs. The potential trio of James, Davis, and DeRozan would give the Lakers the best odds to repeat as champions in the 2020-21 NBA season, and provide stability for the franchise moving forward.
DeRozan is in the final year of his contract, but if the Lakers were to pull off this trade for the four-time All-Star wing, they would make sure he would sign on long-term, much like Davis last season.
On the Spurs side of things, they missed the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons, the longest streak in NBA history, and seem to be heading in the direction of a slight rebuild. Former NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge is now 35 years old and in the closing years of his career, as well as Rudy Gay who is 34 years old.
San Antonio does have some young talent they can build around in Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Keldon Johnson, but need to continue building through the draft to get back to their organizational dominance they have had in the NBA over the last two decades.
Kyle Kuzma is a player who still has a lot of potential for growth in the league and in the Spurs organization, who has had a lot of success developing power forwards, he could be very successful for years to come as the Spurs use him as a key member of their young rotation.
The two first-round picks the Spurs get in return for DeRozan not only help them continue to build their team through the draft, but give them more assets if they wanted to go out on the trade market and bring in a young superstar to be the focal point of their franchise for years to come.
One thing to note about this trade. It would have to be a three-team deal due to the fact that Danny Green is currently in the trade between the Lakers and Thunder that will send Dennis Schroder to the Lakers.
