The chances the Los Angeles Lakers are winning the NBA Championship this season are extremely slim. Instead, the team is focused on sending Kobe Bryant out to retirement while developing the young talent on the roster. With cap space to burn next offseason, the Lakers are eyeing big names preparing to hit the market in 2016. However, could they try and make a move early in order to get a priority player before another team has a chance to sweep him up?
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, DeMar DeRozan is a priority for the Lakers. Without Bryant on the court next season, DeRozan could step in and fill the void. It has been widely speculated that DeRozan is prepared to opt out of his contract with the Toronto Raptors in order to capitalize on the expanding salary caps and the Lakers, who are his hometown team, will aim to make an offer with a max contract. However, if/when DeRozan hits the market, plenty of teams will try and outbid the Lakers which means the team could attempt a trade deal before the deadline.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle proposes the idea of trading for DeRozan now and then signing him at the end of the season. First and foremost, there is no guarantee this will happen. DeRozan has said time and time again that he is committed to the Raptors. This trade is merely a suggestion for the Lakers to get their top priority.
Doolittle writes that Raptors' general manager Masai Ujiri would sell high for DeRozan if for some reason they feel the need to make the deal. The Raptors do risk losing a high-valued player like DeRozan for nothing in return should he exit in free agency. With DeMarre Carroll, Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross, the Raptors are ok at the guard position, but what they need is a low-post presence. Julius Randle could be an option.
Randle has been hot and cold this year. He would be a key pickup in a trade for a player like DeRozan. However, for now the Lakers are stressing their commitment to the forward. The chances they decide to trade Randle for DeRozan are slim. Jordan Clarkson is another name being tossed around in trade talk considering the Lakers are committed to D'Angelo Russell. However, again, the team is stressing that they intend to keep Clarkson despite his lingering free agency status. Clarkson will take up $2.7 million of cap space as a free agent. For now, head coach Byron Scott envisions a tandem between Clarkson and Russell for years to come.
"He's come a long way," Scott said, via the Los Angeles Times. There's no doubt about that. But we have a high expectation of Jordan. We still think he has a long way to go. He's the type of kid to put in the work to get there."
The Lakers will continue to explore trade options. Bleacher Report believes Brandon Bass, Nick Young and even Roy Hibbert could be targets for teams at the deadline.
