Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players to absolutely avoid trading for

DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan is a player that the Los Angeles Lakers have been seemingly been targeting for years now. Although he is a free agent this offseason, the Lakers add DeRozan via a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

He has ties to the team as he was raised in Compton, California, and grew up as a fan of the team. While he would be a fan favorite if he was added to the team, it would not be a very good on-court fit if the Lakers traded for him.

There are two main reasons as to why the Lakers should avoid trading for the California native. The first being his lack of shooting ability and the second being his age.

DeRozan has never been much of an outside shooter or very eager to improve on this skill. He has only shot above 30% from three in only three of his twelve seasons in the league. Along with this, there has only been one season in which DeRozan has attempted more than one three per game.

With the Lakers being a team that already struggles with outside shooting, wrapping more money up in a player like DeRozan would be detrimental to the team.

Also, DeRozan is a player that is beginning to make his way out of his prime. He is currently 31 years old and his athleticism has taken a hit. He went from 30 dunks in the 2019-2020 season to only 17 in the 2020-2021 season. It is likely that this number will only continue to decrease the older he gets.

As a result of this, there is not much the Lakers will gain from trading for DeRozan.