The DeMar DeRozan trade and subsequent moves by the Los Angeles Lakers:
This was the reported package on the table for Buddy Hield and would have been enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to land DeMar DeRozan. The Spurs got pocket change for DeRozan, who had the leverage to pick his destination as it was a sign-and-trade deal.
This deal is miles better than what the Spurs actually got considering Montrezl Harrell has had a solid season and could have been flipped for more assets at the deadline and Gregg Popovich has been very high on Kyle Kuzma in the past.
The Spurs would actually be getting a young rotation player that Pop could have gotten his hands on and molded into a great player.
Ensuing moves that would have been possible:
We do not want to change the reality of the Los Angeles Lakers offseason too much. We are not going to change the veteran minimum players that they were targeting to other options that have been better (Otto Porter). However, they would have had more resources for other additions. The first being…
Re-signing Alex Caruso
With DeRozan making $15 million less than Russell Westbrook the Los Angeles Lakers would not have scoffed at re-signing Alex Caruso for a salary just over $9 million. Granted, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would have still been on the books, but KCP and DeRozan together are $2 million cheaper than Westbrook.
Add in the fact that fewer rotation players would have needed to be signed and the difference would have been big enough for the Lakers to re-sign Caruso considering they low-balled him for such a small amount as is. Caruso would have still been on the team.
Drafting Herbert Jones with the 22nd overall pick
Some may call this revisionist history as Herbert Jones has been really good this year and was the 35th overall pick in the draft. However, the reason why I think the Lakers would have ultimately drafted Jones is two-fold.
First, the Lakers have been really good at spotting talent late in the NBA Draft and they would have picked up on what Jones could offer. Second, the team would have needed an older college prospect that was less of a work in progress and more of an instant contributor. Being a senior out of Alabama, Jones would have fit that mold perfectly.
Plus, the Lakers needed a backup four and still do not have one to this day. It might seem like revisionist history, but Jones really does seem like he would be the pick at 22 if the Lakers didn’t trade it.
In adding DeRozan, the Lakers would have had three more players in the rotation (Caruso, Jones and KCP), which means three fewer minimum players that would have needed to be signed. Some still made the cut.