Los Angeles Lakers Reportedly Interested In 6x NBA All-Star

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported intel on DeMar DeRozan.

Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at center court at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

DeMar DeRozan is among the best free agents remaining.

The six-time NBA All-Star is still an extremely productive player at 34.

He is coming off a season where he averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 48.0% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point range in 79 games for the Chicago Bulls.

Recently, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are a team with legitimate interest in landing DeRozan (who is a free agent).

That said, Johnson noted the challenges of the Lakers actually being able to pull off the move.

Via Johnson's article on NBC Sports Chicago: "The Lakers’ interest is genuine, and the Bulls are open to sign-and-trade possibilities, sources confirmed."

DeMar DeRozan led the NBA in minutes played and fourth-quarter points. As recently as mid-April, he emphatically stated "this is where I want to be."

So why is he unsigned? And what happened with him and the Bulls?

Column for @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/sy9kdIJlYP

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 2, 2024

Considering that the Lakers still have superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they are clearly in win-now mode and trying to compete for an NBA Championship.

In addition, they will need to maximize the final seasons of James (who will turn 40 in December).

DeRozan would be able to provide elite scoring if they were able to land him.

Jan 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard D'Angelo Russell (1) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to the Bulls, he has also spent time with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors over 15 seasons in the league.

He has career averages of 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 46.9% from the field and 29.6% from the three-point range in 1,110 regular season games.

His future is among the most significant storylines remaining in the NBA offseason.