NBA Insider: The Los Angeles Lakers discussed trading for two All-Stars
By Cal Durrett
Would the trade turn the Los Angeles Lakers into a contender?
For Los Angeles, DeRozan is incredibly skilled but also an awkward fit. When he has the ball, he can score efficiently due to his mastery inside the arc, plus he is a terrific passer, but he’d have to play a lot without the ball with James and Anthony Davis needing touches, and the addition of DeRozan does nothing to address their spacing issues.
Ironically, Westbrook is a better 3-point shooter, and it’s hard to imagine the Lakers getting much worse from beyond the arc. Another potential issue is that he’s under contract for another season for around $28.5 million. That’s a fair price for him, but it would drastically cut into their $60+ million in cap space that could be used to retool around Davis and James.
Then there’s the risk that he has a big dropoff, which would make him overpaid in addition to being a questionable fit. Vucevic, meanwhile, could theoretically start beside Davis since he can space the floor, allowing Davis to play power forward. Or, he could backup Davis and play around 25 minutes, with the two playing together a few minutes each game.
He could also provide some injury insurance given Davis’ track record, which is valuable in and of itself. Better yet, if it doesn’t work out, the Lakers could let him walk in free agency after this season.