DeMar DeRozan’s long-rumored Lakers homecoming appears to be off the table.
Ryan Ward of SI.com reported, citing ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, that Los Angeles is not viewed as a destination for the veteran forward after his waiver by the Kings. That closes the door on a line of speculation that had followed the Los Angeles native for years.
The Lakers, meanwhile, seem to be taking a different route. Rather than chasing a familiar name, they’ve been focused on reshaping the roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with a younger core. This offseason has already brought in Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and several other younger additions, while LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and others are no longer in the mix.
There’s still work left to do. Ward also noted that Jonathan Kuminga remains a name to watch, though any pursuit would likely require some financial maneuvering. Los Angeles is also still hunting for another center after dealing Deandre Ayton.
In Orlando, Nikola Vucevic is back in familiar territory.
More than five years after the Magic sent him to Chicago, the two-time All-Star has returned to Orlando, and he said the choice was straightforward. “For me, being at this stage in my career, it was important to join a team that had a chance to win and a place that would be good for my family,” Vucevic said during his introductory press conference, as relayed by Austin Dobbins of SI.com. “It was a pretty easy decision to come back.”
Vucevic spent nine seasons with the Magic before the 2021 trade that eventually helped bring Franz Wagner to the franchise. Now 35, he won’t be asked to carry the offense the way he once did. Instead, he’ll provide veteran presence and depth behind Wendell Carter Jr.
Brooklyn’s offseason has also drawn positive reviews.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported that people around the league believe the Nets quietly put together a strong summer by keeping Day’Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott, adding Keon Ellis, acquiring Julius Randle and moving up in the draft. One NBA agent was especially bullish on the Randle deal, saying, “I actually really like it,” and adding, “(Randle’s) great and will be good with his own team.”
The Nets didn’t land the biggest headline in free agency, but they did come away looking more competitive while preserving room to keep building.
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Nets Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Peyton Watson Rumor
Peyton Watson has started to surface in trade chatter as the Nuggets keep sorting through salary pressure, and that kind of rumor naturally gets attention in Brooklyn. The Nets have spent the last stretch building around youth and flexibility, so any mention of a young wing with upside fits the kind of conversation fans have been having about where the roster is headed and what sort of swing the front office might still consider.
The fit is far from clean, though, even before anyone gets into the injury side of the discussion. Watsons hamstring issues last year have added another layer of caution for teams weighing him, and Brooklyns current roster picture already makes it hard to see a straightforward path to adding another piece without creating more congestion than clarity. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Missed On A Key Wing Target For One Frustrating Reason
Rui Hachimura came off the board as one of the more sought-after wings in free agency, and the Brooklyn Nets were among the teams trying to bring him in. Instead, he chose to stay in California, landing a two-year, $28 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers after drawing interest from Brooklyn, Golden State, Minnesota and San Antonio.
For the Nets, it is another reminder of how competitive the market has become for proven wing scoring, especially when a player can command that kind of attention from multiple teams. Brooklyn has already added pieces that could affect how it allocates those touches, including Julius Randle, while also continuing to develop young players such as Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin, but Hachimuras decision still leaves a familiar kind of what-if on a roster that could have used his shot-making. [Read more 🡒]