2 days Ago By Tyler Conway
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.
DeRo.
