The Los Angeles Lakers have no plans to sit around with their hands tied after winning a championship, and it appears they'll be looking to add another All-Star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the Lakers could be making a push for San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green.
The news of Kuzma's possible departure shouldn't come as a surprise given the fact he's inquiring about a rather large deal from the Lakers, which is highly unlikely to occur. Green was brought aboard in 2019 due to his superior 3-point shooting marksmanship, but those exact skills left him out to dry for much of the playoffs, which made him an easy and unfortunate target for Lakers fans.
At first glance, adding DeRozan to a roster in search of outside shooting doesn't necessarily make sense. The four-time All-Star shot 25.7 percent from beyond the arc last season on just 0.5 attempts per game. The year before that, he was at a woeful 15.6 percent on 0.6 triples per game. Basically, since joining the Spurs, he has just stopped taking 3-pointers. His area of dominance comes from his mid-range abilities along with his forceful drives to the basket, which is similar in some aspects to that of both Davis and James.
Still, DeRozan would give Los Angeles another star-level player and a guy who can make plays for both himself and others off the dribble. If the Lakers are to make a move for DeRozan, they would surely work to surround their stars with more shooting.
DeRozan has a $27.7 million player option for 2020-21. The Spurs reportedly might be looking to shake things up in a big way this offseason, and a trade like this would certainly do that.
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