While the Los Ageles Lakers do ot have the cap room to brig Chicago Blls star DeMar DeRoza home, they cold still become a potetial ladig spot for the free-aget gard i a sig-ad-trade sceario.
Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz floated the possibility of DeRoza sig-ad-trade assmig DAgelo Rssell leaves the Lakers this offseaso.
Goig home to Los Ageles i a sig-ad-trade with the Lakers cold work if DAgelo Rssell trs dow his $18.7 millio player optio (to get L.A. below the first apro) ad Los Ageles seds some combiatio of Ri Hachimra ($17 millio), Asti Reaves ($12.9 millio), Gabe Vicet ($11.0 millio) ad Jarred Vaderbilt ($10.7 millio) back i retr, Swartz wrote o Je 9.
The movig pieces wold deped o how mch DeRoza gets i a ew deal.
The six-time NBA All-Star cold ot agree with the Blls o a ew deal as the vale ad the legth of the cotract remai the stickig poit, accordig to The Athletics Darell Mayberry.
The Blls wold be happy to re-sig DeRoza o a two-year deal. DeRozas side obviosly wold covet more secrity. The Blls have a habit of liberally latchig player optios ito cotracts so that carrot cold come ito play with DeRozas deal as well.
The dollar amot will be hefty, likely orth of $40 millio aally, bt is less sigificat to the Blls log-term flexibility, Mayberry wrote o Je 4.
Bt DeRoza, 35, wats log-term secrity.
DeMar DeRoza Ca Never Say No to Lakers
DeRoza, who starred for Compto High School ad USC, which is jst a stoes throw away from the Staples Ceter, did ot rle ot retrig home.
Ive bee a Lakers fa sice Day Oe, DeRoza said o R it Back o May 15 whe asked abot the possibility of playig for his hometow team. Yo ca ever say o abot playig home, especially for playig for a storied team like the Lakers.
So, time will tell. Well see where the cards fall. Util the, Ill see what happes. Im always goig to be where Im wated. I kow what Imma do, so well see how it plays ot.
Bt i the same iterview, DeRoza made it clear he wats to re-sig with the Blls.
Its defiitely somewhere Id like to retr to, DeRoza said. I thik more so tha aybody. Whe the job ait doe with me, Lo, o matter how togh the sitatio may look, Im oe of those gys that tries to stick it throgh ad try to make somethig ot of othig.
DeMar DeRoza as Lakers Third Star?
DeRozas midrage game ad cltch play wold be a major boost for the Lakers, who are seekig a third star behid LeBro James ad Athoy Davis.
DeRoza averaged 24.0 poits o 48% shootig with 5.3 assists ad 4.3 rebods this seaso, his third with the Blls. He fiished secod to Stephe Crry i the Cltch Player of the Year race, receivig 34 first-place votes ad garerig a total of 272 poits. Crry totaled 298 poits.
Despite his gady mbers, DeRoza failed to ear his third cosective All-Star berth as the Blls etered the All-Star break with a losig record owig to a rogh start.
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