The Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a predicament right now. While being one of the powerhouses of the NBA, they don’t have many assets or money to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis with another star.
That means that they’ll either have to trick a team into taking Dennis Schroder in a sign-and-trade alongside Kyle Kuzma just to get some assets back. Or they’ll have to hope a star is willing to take a massive pay cut just to have the chance to win a ring.
Luckily for them, that seems to be the case, as former Raptors and Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan said in an interview that he’d love to have the opportunity to play at home and become an NBA champion.
DeRozan Says He Doesn’t Care About The Money And Winning Is His Priority
“It’s all about winning at this point,” DeRozan said on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay. “Going into my 13th season and seeing all these guys just competing for a championship. At this point, you got to weigh out the opportunity to winning a championship kind of more. Especially with the career I’ve had. I’ve been fortunate to make a lot of money, but at this point, the ultimate goal is to compete for a championship.”
“You can’t ask a kid if they want to play at home (and think) they’ll say no. At some point, you will definitely want to have that opportunity, and especially if they want you. Why not? It’s a great opportunity,” he concluded.
DeRozan was born and raised in California and even attended USC before being drafted by the Toronto Raptors. Clearly, there are strong ties between him and the state, and he’s made plenty of cash throughout his career.
Should he be willing to take a veteran minimum deal, the Lakers would be even scarier entering next season, assuming both Anthony Davis and LeBron James are back to full strength after an injury-riddled season.