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Could DeMar DeRozan Be ‘Difference-Making Playmaker’ the Lakers Need?

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Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft, there’s an emerging possibility DeMar DeRozan could end up being the ‘difference-making playmaker’ the Lakers need to move LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five.

While known mostly for his elite midrange game and reluctance to shoot the three, DeRozan has evolved into an elite playmaker with the Spurs the last three years, averaging 6.9 assists on 2.0 turnovers per game last season. Posting the 10th most assists per game and 11th best assists-to-turnovers ratio by a guard, DeMar may have catapulted himself into consideration for the ‘difference-making playmaker’ the Lakers need to win next season.

Pairing DeMar DeRozan with a volume 3-point shooter like Buddy Hield could give the Lakers the midrange specialist they need to close games and the high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter they need for spacing. DeMar DeRozan as primary playmaker and Buddy Hield as main floor spacer should enable the Lakers to build a dynamic championship starting lineup with LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five.

The Lakers are optimistically hoping DeMar would agree to sign for the $9.5 million non-taxpayer MLE but chances are they would have to work out a sign-and-trade with the Spurs to be able to actually acquire DeRozan. John Hollinger is projected DeRozan’s value on the free agent market to be $16 million so the Lakers would probably have to give him a 3-year deal starting at around $15 million per year to get him to agree to a sign-and-trade.

Fitting Hield and DeRozan under the $142.9 million hard cap will be a challenge but could be the Los Angeles Lakers best option for upgrading their starting lineup and odds of winning their 18th NBA championship.

Ten Reasons Why Lonzo Ball Is Perfect Point Guard for LeBron and Lakers

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There’s no former Lakers’ player who is more polarizing or misunderstood than Lonzo Ball, who was drafted #2 overall by Los Angeles back in 2017 where he played his first two seasons before being traded to New Orleans.

Over hyped by Magic Johnson and the LA media and hounded by his father LaVar Ball’s antics, Lonzo Ball spent a good portion of his two seasons with the Lakers fighting injuries and trying to live up to inflated expectations. But being exiled to New Orleans via the Anthony Davis trade allowed Lonzo the time and opportunity to work on honing his game, especially his 3-point and free throw shooting and overall decision making as a point guard.

Now that it appears the Pelicans are committed to pursuing Kyle Lowry as their starting point guard going forward, here are ten reasons why Lonzo Ball is the perfect point guard for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers:

1. EXCEPTIONAL BASKETBALL IQ

One of intangible LeBron and the Lakers value is basketball IQ. Lonzo’s greatest talent is his vision and anticipation at both ends of the court. Like Caruso, Lonzo does the little things that don’t show in the box score.

2. ELITE VOLUME 3-POINT SHOOTER

The Lakers need volume 3-point shooters. After shooting just 31.5% on 5.3 attempts per game his two years with the Lakers, Lonzo shot an impressive 37.6% from deep on 7.2 attempts per game in two years with the Pelicans.

3. SAVVY AND VERSATILE DEFENDER

At 6′ 6″ with a 6′ 7″ wingspan, Lonzo has all the instincts and tools to be an elite defender who can guard ones, twos, and threes and provide defensive savvy and versatility that few NBA point guards are capable of doing.

4. GIFTED PASSER AND PLAYMAKER

From high school to UCLA to the Lakers and then the Pelicans, Lonzo has always been a ready made playmaking highlight reel. While he still needs to improve his P&R passing, Lonzo is an elite outlet and lob playmaker.

5. BALL NEVER STOPS OR STICKS

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup, the Lakers don’t really want a ball dominant point guard. Lonzo is a great fit because the ball doesn’t stop when it gets to him. Lonzo’s elite at moving the basketball.

6. EXPERIENCE PLAYING WITH LEBRON

While Lonzo struggled at times during his 2-year stint in LA, he had a great relationship with LeBron James, who always respected his game and knew and understood the pressures Lonzo faced with all of the media hype.

7. FAMILIAR WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS OF LA

You hear Lakers fans and media always talking about how players struggle to play or shoot as well in LA as other cities because of the bright lights. Lonzo has been here before and that will help him adjust to playing in LA.

8. GREAT UPSIDE AT 22-YEARS OLD

Just 22-years old with 4 years of NBA experience, Lonzo has already shown he is nowhere near the player he has the potential to become. He needs to learn to run pick-and-rolls and to attack the basket with drives and floaters.

9. REASONABLE SALARY AND BIRD RIGHTS

With Kyle Lowry, Dennis Schroder, and Spencer Dinwiddie now demanding much of the attention and $30 million per year, the Lakers may have an opportunity to sign-and-trade Lonzo for $20 to $22 million per year.

10. MEMBER OF KLUTCH SPORTS’ FAMILY

Don’t disregard how important being a Klutch Sports client could be to Lonzo Ball ending up on the Lakers. Rich Paul and Rob Pelinka already have an impressive track record at directing Klutch talent to the Lakers.

This is going to be one of the most dynamic offseasons in NBA history. The Play-In Tournament has suddenly transformed a leauge that used to be split fairly evenly between sellers and buyers. Now it’s like everybody’s a buyer.

The Lakers want to reduce the workload on 36-year old LeBron by acquiring a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so James can move to the four and Davis to the five. Lonzo’s 7 assists and 7 attempted threes per game are a pefect fit. The Lakers don’t need a ball-dominant point guard like CP3 or Russ. They need a point guard who can quickly get the ball in the right player’s hands, take and make a high volume of threes to create spacing, and play defense.

Lonzo Ball may not be the old school ball-dominant point guard but he has the potential to become the prototype future modern NBA point guard and is the perfect point guard for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s How the Lakers Could Create a Superstar Big Four for Next Season!

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Why should the Los Angeles Lakers settle for a Superstar Big Three when there’s a legitimate chance they can create the NBA’s first Superstar Big Four with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Lowry, and DeMar DeRozan?

The odds of the Lakers pulling off deals to land both Lowry and DeRozan may be long and depend on the loyal and grateful Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs working to get Kyle and DeMar to their desired destinations. While there’s an interest from Lowry and DeRozen to join the Lakers, the path to acquire them would require both players to agree to take a pay cut over what they’re currently making and agree to a sign-and-trade to LA.

Here’s how the Lakers could add Lowry and DeRozan to James and Davis, how they could fill out the rest of the roster despite being hardcapped, and why a Superstar Big Four could well portend the NBA’s next dynasty.

ADDING LOWRY AND DEROZAN

The only way the Lakers can acquire Kyle Lowry is via a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers have two options for acquiring DeMar DeRozan: sign-and-trade for him or sign him for the $9.5 million full MLE.

Since receiving a player via a sign-and-trade automatcially hardcaps a team, the Lakers will have to keep total salaries, including the $5 million left on the books from Luol Deng, under the $142.9 million hard cap for 2021–22. Adding both Lowry and DeRozan is possible if the Lakers can limit their combined starting annual salaries under $35 million and move Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, Horton-Tucker, and Harrell if he exercises his player option.

If the Lakers were successful in creating a Superstar Big Four with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Lowry, and DeMar DeRozan, they would immediately become championship favorites for the 2021–22 season.

FILLING OUT THE FULL ROSTER

After building a Superstar Big Four with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Lakers will only have $27.8 million left under the $142.9 million hard cap to fill out the rest of their roster.

There are two options for the Lakers to fill out the roster. In the first option, Los Angeles sign-and-trades for Kyle Lowry, straight trades for Reggie Bullock, and then signs DeMar DeRozan to the full Mid Level Exception. The Lowry trade clears Schroder, Kuzma, and Horton-Tucker from the roster and the Bullock trade clears Caldwell-Pope and Harrell. With 4 superstars, Gasol, and pick, the Lakers need at least six more players to have 12.

In the second option, Los Angeles reduces their sign-and-trade offer for Lowry by $5 million, uses the extra money to sign-and-trade DeRozan for $15 million, and then signs Reggie Bullock for the full Mid Level Exception. The Lowry and Bullock trades clear the salaries of Schroder, Kuzma, Horton-Tucker, Caldwell-Pope and Harrell from the Lakers’ salary cap, giving them the cap space for the six players to fill out the roster to 12 players.

While the above rosters only have 12 active players, the Lakers can either try to free up another $3.4 million to add two more players or they can sign two new players to two-way contracts to provide two extra bodies.

BUILDING THE NEXT DYNASTY

A starting lineup of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Reggie Bullock would be a huge upgrade over last year’s starting fivesome and set the stage for another Lakers’ dynasty.

The Lakers would be replacing the Schroder and Caldwell-Pope backcourt that only made 3.0 threes out of 7.9 attempts per game with the Lowry and Bullock backcourt that averaged 5.3 threes out of 13.3 attempts per game. That would result in a 68.3% increase in 3-point takes and 76.7% increase in 3-point makes by the Lakers backcourt. Making 2.3 additional 3-point shots per game would boost LA’s offensive output by 7 points per game.

Transforming the Lakers’ backcourt from low volume, low percentage to high volume, high percentage would eliminate the Lakers’ negative 3-point differential and opens the door to add DeMar DeRozan at small forward. Starting DeRozan would give the Lakers a lethal midrange jump shooter who can close games and get his shot against any defender like his mentor Kobe Bryant or stars like Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker.

The Lakers will be looking at multiple options for rebuilding their roster but creating a Superstar Big Four with James, Davis, Lowry, and DeRozan plus Bullock could set the stage for the Los Angeles Lakers next dynasty.

Could Benefits of Being Hardcapped Outweigh the Negatives for Lakers?

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There’s a reason why more than half of the teams in the NBA opted to be hardcapped this past season. While hardcapping limits what a team can spend on salaries for the season, it also gives teams other advantages.

The first advantage is hardcapped teams can sign-and-trade for other teams’ free agents. For teams like the LA Lakers who don’t have cap space, sign-and-trades are the only way they can acquire a high priced free agent. The Lakers’ priority this summer is to find a ‘difference-making playmaker.’ Since the top point guards this summer will be free agents, the Lakers may have to accept being hardcapped to land the elite playmaker they covet.

The second advantage is hardcapped teams get the full $9.5 million MLE to sign one or more free agents from other teams. The full MLE gives the Lakers a huge competitive advantage versus teams that are not hardcapped. Non-hardcapped teams only get the $5.9 million taxpayer MLE or the $4.9 million room MLE so the Lakers would be able to offer the best MLE candidates a greater annual salary than non-hardcapped teams can offer.

Landing an elite veteran point guard via sign-and-trade and a deadeye 3-point shooting guard or small forward via the full MLE could give the Lakers two starters superior to any players available if not hardcapped.

What makes being hardcapped a smart strategy for teams without cap space is the access to star free agent players. Sign-and-trades and the full MLE are powerful tools to accelerate building a caliber championship team.

The Lakers’ top sign-and-trade point guard target is Kyle Lowry, whom they tried to trade for at the deadline. Lonzo Ball, Chris Paul, Devonte Graham, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Derrick Rose are also sign-and-trade candidates. The Lakers’ top point guard trade target is Malcolm Brogdon, whom the Pacers have now put on the trade block. Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker, Collin Sexton, and Terry Rozier are other point guards available via trade.

The Lakers’ top shooting guard candidate for the MLE is the Hornets’ Malik Monk, an unrestricted free agent sharpshooter. Other shooting guards for the MLE are Victor Oladipo, Alex Burks, Terrence Davis, and J.J. Redick. The Lakers’ top small forward target for the MLE is the Pelicans’ Josh Hart. Will Barton, Josh Hart, Furkan Korkmaz, Kelly Oubre, Kent Bazemore, Otto Porter, Jr., and Reggie Bullock are other small foward MLE candidates.

Being hardcapped would be worth it if the Lakers could sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry and then sign a second quality starter like Malik Monk or Josh Hart with the full MLE. The #22 pick also becomes valuable if hardcapped.

There are severe limits to what a team can do if hardcapped. A sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry or any free agent cannot exceed $25 million per year or the Lakers might not be able to re-sign Caruso and Horton-Tucker.

There’s a misconception teams can build better, deeper rosters by paying luxury taxes rather than being hardcapped. The reality is luxury taxes are structured so that progressive penalties rapidly limit what teams can do. Should the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook, the annual salaries of LeBron, AD, Russ, Gasol, eight players for the vet minimum, and Deng’s $5 million waive-and-stretch total $142.0 million or close to the tax apron.

The luxury tax bill for using the taxpayer $5.9 million MLE to add a 13th player would be expensive. The total luxury taxes would cost the Lakers $12.5 million, bringing the annual pay for that player to $18.4 million. From there, the taxes become even more exorbitant. Adding 14th and 15th players who earn just the veteran minimum salary of $1.7 million would cost the Lakers another $15 million in taxes to completely fill out the roster.

The bottom line is there are advantages and disadvantages for teams willing to be hardcapped or pay luxury taxes. Which route a team chooses will depend on the specific roster needs and financial landscape of the team.

Lakers Considering Going Small With LeBron at the Four & AD at the Five!

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If any Lakers news this offseason deserved a Woj Bomb, it was Mark Stein’s report that the Lakers covet a “difference-making playmaker who would allow James and Davis to spend more time at power forward and center.”

This is blockbuster news for the Lakersverse. If true, Stein’s report basically says the Lakers are considering abandoning what has been a two-year campaign to accommodate Anthony Davis’ preference not to play the five. While Davis’ best position is the five and the Lakers’ best lineups are with him at the five, Los Angeles finally appears to be ready to commit to James and Davis playing the 4 and 5 in both the regular season and the playoffs.

So why the change in strategy, a move that obviously has to have LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ approval as well as the Lakers’ front office and coaching staffs, and how will that impact the team’s offseason moves?

WHAT POSITIONS HAVE LEBRON AND AD BEEN PLAYING?

If Mark Stein’s report proves to be correct, moving LeBron James to the 4 and Anthony Davis to the 5 represents a dramatic and stunning strategic change in how the Lakers will utilize their two superstars next season.

In his three Lakers seasons, James has spent 43% of his regular season minutes and 46% of his playoff minutes at point guard with only 11% of his regular season minutes and 0% of playoff minutes at power forward.
Meanwhile, Davis has played 71% of his regular season minutes and 47% of his playoff minutes at power forward and just 29% of his regular season minutes and 53% of his playoff minutes as a Laker playing center.

The Lakers are now considering making a radical lineup change for the upcoming NBA season by having LeBron James move from point guard to power forward and Anthony Davis move from power forward to center.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN STRATEGY?

After spending most of last regular season and playoffs actively avoiding LeBron at the four or AD at the five, what happened to suddenly cause the Lakers to decide to change course and embrace a James/Davis four/five?

The easiest explanation is the Lakers know they do not have the cap space or trading chips to transform the current roster to championship caliber so they smartly decided to take better advantage of the personnel they have. The James/Davis small ball lineup is clearly the Lakers best lineup. They just need to add an elite point guard so LeBron could move to the four and rethink how to prevent AD from getting injured so he can play the five.

The Lakers know small ball is the future of the league and moving LeBron to the four and AD to the five will optimize their superstars and make it easier for them to add the shooters and defenders they need to win the title.

HOW WILL THE CHANGE IMPACT LAKERS’ OFFSEASON?

The biggest challenge the Lakers will have converting to a James/Davis small ball lineup for next season is finding a ‘difference-making playmaker’ to replace LeBron James at point guard so he can move to power forward.

A starting lineup with LeBron at the four and AD at the five also opens up an opportunity for the Lakers to add a bigger 3&D wing player like PJ Tucker, who can shoot the corner three and defend high-scoring twos and threes. Tucker would be the perfect player for the Lakers to target as their starting three. Signing him would give the Lakers three starting front court players who could guard all five positions at all three levels of the court.

Finally, whom the Lakers start at shooting guard will depend on whom they acquire to start at the point. If they acquire a point guard who’s a volume deadeye 3-point shooter, then they might survive with THT at the two.

WHY WILL THE LAKERS SMALL BALL LINEUP BE BETTER?

By redeploying their two superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers found a path to rebuild their roster to championship caliber despite not having open cap space for free agents or trading chips to pull off mega deals for elite players.

Starting James at the four and Davis at the five not only takes advantage of the front court pairing the Lakers used to win their 17th NBA championship in last year’s bubble but opens up opportunities for more 3-point shooting. The Lakers have a better chance of finding an elite 3&D wing to start at the three alongside LeBron and AD at the four and five than finding a center to play alongside Davis that wouldn’t be played off the court in the playoffs.

By committing to the James/Davis front court that won the championship, the Lakers have given themselves a chance to roll out their best potential lineup with both of their superstars finally playing their ideal positions.