Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles interested in acquiring Derrick Rose

Kyle Kuzma can’t stay out of Lakers rumors. Whether it’s directly or indirectly, any move that the Lakers looks at, Kuz will be involved. With Derrick Rose being checked out by some contenders including the Los Angeles Lakers, Lake Show Life checks out if Rose is worth the price of giving up Kyle Kuzma.

The NBA Trade Deadline on February 6th is slowly approaching and I’m sure Kyle Kuzma would like to speed the minutes, hours and days up. Lakers rumors continue to persist because the Lakers need to improve in a couple of areas and grab a needed championship piece. If the Lakers obtain that piece through a trade in the next couple weeks, no NBA GM that can recite the alphabet is doing anything without Kyle Kuzma being involved in the deal.

The first player coveted by the Lakers in the news was Andre Iguodala. Then a couple of weeks back, Darren Collison was in the news after announcing his comeback. Now the new flavor of the week happens to be one of LeBron’s old teammates, Derrick Rose of the Detroit Pistons.

According to Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers are among contenders taking interest in Derrick Rose of the Detroit Pistons. One of those teams happened to be the Los Angeles Clippers, but that did not go past the telephone stage. Right now the discussions are about a “price check” on what the Pistons would want considering the fire sale is coming soon.

For the record, Kyle Kuzma’s name was NOT mentioned in Chris Haynes’ report, but this is Lake Show Life. We are first team common sense. Kyle Kuzma will be involved in a trade to acquire Rose.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, this a risky trade for a list of reasons.

1. Derrick Rose has an infamous past of injury problems with his legs despite the fact he has only missed six games this season.
2. The Los Angeles Lakers would be letting go and completely wiping out the youth movement by getting rid of yet another young and promising player for a veteran.
3. Locker room chemistry, which is one of the Lakers greatest strengths, could be compromised. 

To Derrick Rose’s credit, this is a major comeback story of sorts. It is amazing that Rose is starting to gain attention around the NBA contenders based on the fact that Rose spent time out of the league. To be honest, if Tom Thibodeau wasn’t so stuck on getting his former players from Chicago to fill out his roster in Minnesota (Remember, Luol Deng played last year too!), Derrick Rose’s career could have been easily over.

This article would not have meant much earlier in the day. Kyle Kuzma had come off his strongest game of the season against Houston. He filled in admirably for Anthony Davis when he was injured averaging 20 points. Then the question of Kuzma being able to produce with Anthony Davis in the lineup was discussed on “The Jump” on ESPN.

Well the Lakers rumors will get a lot louder after the Lakers laid a huge egg on MLK Day against the Boston Celtics. Anthony Davis returned to the lineup and Kuzma had a sub-par game to say the least.

With a 4-of-12 shooting performance, scoring only 13 points in a 132-107 thrashing on the road will have fans calling to make the trade. But is it really worth it?

Lake Show Life breaks down the latest trade that falls in the realm (Like again!) of Lakers rumors.

Before we get started: This is NOT a trade deal that is going down. It is a in depth look on what the Pistons may want and what the Lakers can realistically give.

Derrick Rose represents the “playmaker” that the Los Angeles Lakers need.

Derrick Rose would presumably fill the need of a playmaker for the Lakers. It has been reported on numerous outlets (Lake Show Life included!) that a shot creator not named LeBron James is needed on the roster. This scenario is needed ESPECIALLY off the bench. Rajon Rondo has proven that he can do it (Oh wait, It’s 2020 and not 2010?) to only friends, family and Frank Vogel. Avery Bradley doesn’t have enough of a sample size to really analyze due to injury and Alex Caruso has been inconsistent based on the matchups.

The one thing that Derrick Rose can be counted on is being able to get his own shot while creating for others. That crossover is still quick enough to break down defenses. Plus with an improved mid-range jumper, theoretically he can help the Lakers. Only one problem here. The Detroit Pistons stink. They lost to the Washington Wizards. The same Wizards that frustrated Bradley Beal to the point he called out the organization for all of the losing.

Rose scored 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting Monday in a loss to the Washington Wizards. Their 10th straight in the Nation’s capital.

Entering the game, Rose was averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 assists on 50.3 percent shooting in 25.8 minutes per game this season. No disrespect but Rose is going to get his numbers. Why? Who else is there to get numbers for the Pistons?

Outside of Rose, there’s Andre Drummond, who’s probably gone after this season (Maybe next month) and Blake Griffin, whose knees have him sidelined for a lengthy period of time. Who else is there? Somebody has to lead this dumpster fire in scoring.

It is also being reported that Rose is happy in Detroit and has not made a trade request. However the Pistons will have to start offloading veterans to blow this roster up and start over. The Blake Griffin/Andre Drummond experiment of the previous Stan Van Gundy regime has not worked. Drummond’s contract is an albatross that Detroit will have problems moving. Much like Kuzma, Rose is the most attractive asset. He has one more year at $7.6 million remaining on his contract.

Let’s all put on our GM hats and play Rob Pelinka. Outside of Kuzma, what other assets would the Pistons want?

Lakers Rumors Proposal: With Kuz, a combination of Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels, 2 second rounders and Talen Horton-Tucker.

It has been well documented that the Los Angeles Lakers have limited options to make trades based on the assets flipped for Anthony Davis and players with a no trade clause in their contracts. With the Stepien Rule in effect, that eliminates first round picks being added (Not that the Lakers would want to anyway). To get Derrick Rose in the purple and gold, they would have to hope the Pistons take Kuzma and a combination of these assets.

Quinn Cook:

Quinn Cook has a two-year deal that is one of few tradeable contracts on the Lakers roster. Danny Green was the other, but his inconsistencies at $15 million will make Detroit hang up the phone. The Lakers can actually use his contract to add to Kuzma’s to match salaries. A couple of weeks ago, Cook wouldn’t even be in the discussion. However for the last two weeks, Quinn Cook has showcased his abilities. Remember he led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points in the loss to Orlando.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1217679398331023360

With The Pistons stuck with bad contracts and no clear path to the postseason, Cook’s contract is quite palatable to the owners, who will be looking to save money.

Troy Daniels: 

Troy Daniels actually knows that he is basically gone no matter what the Lakers do. They could make a trade here or waive him if Collison comes available. The Lakers got him for one reason. Because he’s a 3-point shooter. The problem is until recently, he may well be the last guy on the bench. When he got in the game, he started firing from everywhere. The look on his face has the message: “If I’m going out. I’m going out shooting.” Can’t be mad at him. It has worked for him the last few games.

Daniels has a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal and will be the perfect throw in on this deal. Sadly for Troy, Detroit can buy him out immediately to save money on the books.

Talen Horton-Tucker:

If you haven’t been following Talen Horton-Tucker’s progress, he is balling out of his mind playing for the South Bay Lakers in the G-League. Just look at the highlights from his recent game against the Memphis Hustle.

Would the Lake Show Life staff give up this guy? PFFT, are you kidding? NO! But it depends on how badly the Lakers want Derrick Rose and the price range of the Pistons. The Detroit Pistons will try the blueprint that New Orleans used. Get young pieces for cheap prices.

Throw in a couple of second round picks and Detroit might give Rose up. To all other reports adding DeMarcus Cousins, here’s why you don’t believe them.

The Los Angeles Lakers want Darren Collison? Boogie Cousins’ injury is the key!  

Even though Derrick Rose would be potentially a huge improvement on the offensive end, Darren Collison is another player the Lakers could attain to fulfill that role. Now the pursuit is on hold for about a month while he considers a return from retirement. Reports have the Lakers and Clippers on the inside track.

Cousins’ relationship with Collison is a major selling point. If you’ve noticed that Rondo is still getting minutes, it should show that locker room politics and relationships are in play here.

The locker room absolutely loves Boogie Cousins. Darren Collison is a close friend. That’s the situation on the surface. Now let’s go upstairs where the front office is located.

The Lakers have to have some money to outbid the Clippers. There’s only one way. The Disabled Player Exception thanks to the injury to DeMarcus Cousins.

The Disabled Player Exception due to the injury of DeMarcus Cousins, is the only way as of this point the Lakers have to financially outbid the Clippers for Collison.

The Lakers could lose the exception if Cousins is traded in any deal.

This is one of the biggest blocks in any trade no matter what Lakers rumors come through Lake Show Life or any other media outlets. With the team being so strapped salary cap wise, the buyout market is the probable option for the Lakers try to get assets for the playoff run.

The Disable Player Exception is a huge part of that plan.

If the trade went down, there is a player that could come with Rose from Detroit.

The Lakers could swing Markieff Morris in the deal. A big wing player that could be had for cheap. 

What’s interesting here Lakers fans is that the team was rumored to be actually looking at Markieff Morris as a free agent to sign last year. He said no. He signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead for their playoff run.

The less known Morris twin hasn’t put up the numbers as his brother Marcus in New York, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play. He did show flashes of brilliance when he played for the Wizards last year.

With the Pistons this year, Morris is averaging 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He is shooting surprisingly well from distance, knocking down nearly 41%. His contract is very salary cap friendly at 2 years at $3.2 million. This is a cap friendly contract that can be flipped if things do not work out.

The Lakers can check the boxes of having a 3 and D player the Lakers covet and he would be a nice backup plan if the Lakers can’t land Darren Collison or if Memphis makes good on their threats and trade Andre Iguodala to another contender.

Sometimes the throw in players can be a diamond in the rough. Markieff Morris has played in the NBA a long time and has the experience and toughness to gain the respect of this veteran laden roster in the postseason.

Plus if you haven’t paid attention to Frank Vogel and his rotations, he is going to ride with the veterans all the way in the playoffs. You can book that.

No. Kyle Kuzma is better than these guys long-term and read below for the main reason

How soon fans forget. Does anyone remember how things worked out in Cleveland? It was a disaster. Derrick Rose needs the ball in his hands to be truly effective. In Cleveland, Rose struggled in basically ALL aspects of his game to the point he left the team for a period of time to get his mind together.

LeBron James was actually the small forward at the time. Let’s just say that James is THE point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers flipped Rose that year for Deron Williams. If you saw his performance in the NBA Finals that year, that should tell you how bad things got for D-Rose in Cleveland.

There’s a reason why Rose is playing so well in Detroit. He has complete freedom like he did in Chicago. Even though his numbers were decent in New York, the triangle offense was an issue.

Oh by the way, wasn’t Kurt Rambis still on the payroll in New York with Phil Jackson when Rose disappeared without telling anyone on a game night?

In Cleveland, Rose was traded to the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline. The Jazz waived him almost immediately after.

The point here is this. We have watched Kyle Kuzma struggle at times this season being the 3rd option behind AD and LeBron. What makes you think that Derrick Rose can play off the ball any better at double the salary? By the way, he’s on the books for next year as well.

Kyle Kuzma is going to be needed eventually over the next few years when LeBron retires. What if AD signs a two-year deal with an option like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George did across the hall? Eventually this roster is going to have to be overhauled and young players will be needed. Plus Kuzma is a better defender potentially than Rose or Morris in the long run.

Talen Horton-Tucker is a stud. That move to buy a second rounder to land him in this year’s draft was another underrated stroke of genius by Rob Pelinka.

Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers are 34-9 at the top of the Western Conference. They have time for Kyle Kuzma to get acclimated to his role. Again, he’s not going anywhere.