Heat the favorites to land DeMar DeRozan?

If this wasn’t already obvious, the Lakers will need to throw some bodies overboard and may have to pay a team like the Pistons or Jazz with second-round picks to take them. Most simply, L.A. could drop Christian Wood and Cam Reddish off on another team’s doorstep, re-sign Taurean Prince for up to $5.5 million and have a 14-man roster that is right at the second apron. To get a player like DeMar DeRozan with the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, however, the Lakers would likely need to part with bigger contracts — think Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and/or D’Angelo Russell. Max Christie’s new deal, occupying an estimated $7.2 million on their cap sheet, remains a thorn in the Lakers’ side in this respect. -via New York Times / July 3, 2024

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said of DeRozan: “There is interest in DeMar DeRozan. But the kind of contract that he might want just is not going to be available; it’s not left out there in the marketplace. The Bulls are more than willing to work on a sign and trade agreement to get him the years and money that he might want. With the new salary cap rules, those are much difficult for teams to do. The Lakers have interest… LeBron James has talked about a willingness to take significantly less money to open up their mid-level exception. “In DeMar DeRozan’s case, it may look like a one-year deal somewhere, let the market reset next year. If you do a sign and trade, it’s got to be at least three years and then 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 will be the harder part.” -via Miami Herald / July 3, 2024

Yet, to this point, the notion of a significant pay cut is reportedly still out of the question. “For the teams that might be calling or gauging interest in DeMar taking a full mid-level exception, which is around $13 million, I am told that is not even being considered right now,” Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes said. DeRozan is still operating under the old-world assumption that he is a star and should be paid as such. -via CBSSports.com / July 3, 2024