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NBA trade rumor season is in full swing and the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to a number of players. One of the most notable players the team has recently been attached to is San Antonio Spurs All-Star DeMar DeRozan. The Los Angeles native grew up as a Lakers fan so it could be a dream come true for him to return to his hometown.
Usually, players don’t really react to rumors but DeRozan got very honest about the news that the Lakers could be interested in him.
“For me, it’s just I’ve learned being in the league so long that you always want to be wanted,” DeRozan said on the All The Smoke podcast. “So when you see things about teams wanting you, you can’t feel a certain type of way. You’d better feel good about it because there’s some motherf****** that’s not wanted. You don’t want to be that person. So to be wanted by a championship team that just came off a championship, to see that, how could you not feel some type of way? Especially me, being from L.A., it’s like ‘damn, my hometown team want me? They just came off a championship and they want me?’ It’s definitely crazy to be able to see that.”
Those comments really aren’t subtle. It’s pretty obvious that DeRozan would not mind joining the Lakers. There are rumors that he wants out of San Antonio and going back home would be a win-win for him.
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DeRozan Has Spurned the Lakers Before
While DeRozan is acting all happy about the Lakers being interested in him now, it hasn’t always been this way. He’s had chances to join the team before and didn’t give them a chance. In fact, just a couple of years ago, DeRozan was asked by a fan to join the Lakers and he said “hell no.”
It’s funny how things change. Now that the Lakers are good, DeRozan is talking about playing for his hometown team and how honored he is. Those weren’t the tunes he was signing in the past. Regardless, you can’t blame him for not wanting to go to a bad team.
DeRozan Not a Great Fit, but Would Give Lakers 3rd Star
While the Lakers could be discussing a possible trade for DeRozan that would send Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma to the Spurs, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. First of all, Greg Popovich isn’t in the business of helping the Lakers at all. He’s only going to make a trade if he feels like he’s going to be the winner.
Plus, DeRozan doesn’t really fit the Lakers. They need 3-point shooting and DeRozan just doesn’t seem interested in elevating that part of his game. He’s an excellent scorer but the team doesn’t really need that. Now, DeRozan is definitely a better player than both Green and Kuzma but they fit better. If the Lakers find an elite 3-point shooter, then trading for DeRozan makes a bit more sense. That said, it just doesn’t seem likely to happen.
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