Add DeMar DeRozan to the list of players LeBron James wants the Los Angeles Lakers to target in free agency.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported DeRozan is also among the names James would take a pay cut to play with.
“I think there’s more than three,” Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast. “I think DeMar DeRozan is on that list as well. And there may be another one or so.”
Dave McMenamin of ESPN previously reported James would take a pay cut if it meant the Lakers could land James Harden, Klay Thompson or Jonas Valanciunas. Harden (Los Angeles Clippers) and Valanciunas (Washington Wizards) have already signed elsewhere, while Thompson is expected to command more than the $12.9 million midlevel exception.
James would need to take a pay cut of more than $20 million for the Lakers to have access to their full non-taxpayer midlevel.
Should the Lakers find a desirable veteran willing to take the $12.9 million midlevel, they will likely head to the trade market to shed more payroll. Gabe Vincent, who missed nearly all of last season after signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Lakers last summer, is a prime candidate for a move. The Lakers would almost certainly have to attach picks to Vicent’s contract to get a deal done.
Trading D’Angelo Russell is also a possibility, but he was highly effective in his role last season and makes a reasonable salary at $19 million. It’s hard to fathom the Lakers shedding a key starter unless it’s for a star of DeRozan’s caliber.
DeRozan spent the last three seasons with the Bulls and is expected to explore his options as Chicago seemingly embarks on a rebuilding period. The future Hall of Famer almost signed with the Lakers during the 2021 offseason, but those plans were foiled when the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook.
DeRozan, whose value was at a nadir around the league in 2021, underwent a bit of a career revival in Chicago. He made the All-Star team in two of his three seasons with the franchise and was the team’s most consistent star. The 34-year-old averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game last season.
While there may be teams willing to offer DeRozan more than the midlevel, his suitors are drying up. The Philadelphia 76ers landed Paul George and the Orlando Magic signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, taking away the two best teams with cap space and a need on the wing.
DeRozan has never reached the NBA Finals in his career, so perhaps finally heading home and finishing out his career on a roster with James and Anthony Davis could entice him into a pay cut. Otherwise, the Bulls will almost certainly have to explore sign-and-trade options.