Could Pistons take advantage of Bulls and Lakers in 3-team trade?
Possible 3-team trade with Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers
For the Lakers to be able to do anything, they have to cut payroll and would also likely have to talk DeMar DeRozan into taking a below-market deal.
The Lakers have a ton of money tied up in a team that isn’t very good, so even if they were able to get off deals, it’s not going to be easy for them to fill out the rest of their roster.
That’s a long way of saying this would be tough to pull off and it probably won’t happen.
In this trade, the Bulls get a little something for DeRozan in the form of Rui Hachimura and a 2nd round pick, which is about the most they can hope for. They might balk at taking on two years of Hachimura, and if I’m the Bulls, I might just let DeRozan walk instead, especially after they drafted Matas Buzelis, re-signed Patrick Williams and landed Jalen Smith in free agency.
The Lakers get DeRozan but give up two rotation players and you have to ask if this actually makes them better. DeRozan is a very good player and durable, but he’s 35 years old. He’d also likely have to take a lower deal than he was offered to stay in Chicago. DeRozan is from LA and who knows, he may be willing to take less to finish his career in his home city.
But what about the Pistons. Is this the type of deal they should pursue?