(The original article was published on December 14. The author is Scott Sporting of the Rafferty News website. The content of the article does not represent the translator’s point of view)
DeMar DeRozan is not for sale, is it?
Although news reports in the first week of December showed that bull was not interested in trading the five-time All-Star, the names of derazan and bull always appeared in various trading rumors. First of all, ESPN reporter Zach Lowe mentioned that “a team from Los Angeles has discussed the possibility of pursuing derazan”. Recently, an NBA source told Eric Pincus, a reporter from the bleachers, “everyone is paying close attention to the situation of the bull, believing that the current bull must be pushed down and rebuilt.”
How good is drozan? If the Bulls really decided to trade DeRozan, which team would be their trading target?
How good is drozan?
DeRozan has always been a player who evaluates polarization. Last season, he proved that he was still an excellent scorer by playing the strongest performance in his career. Last season, DeRozan could watch 27.9 points, setting a new career high, field goal percentage 50.4%, with a three-point hit rate of 35.2%.
Derazan is still not a high-yielding three-point shooter. The middle distance projection has always been an elite level. Last season, only 14 players scored higher than drozan in the paint area. DeRozan is also one of the top finalists in the league. In the past three seasons, he has ranked in the top five in each season and ranked highest last season (second in the league). It was because of the above excellent performance that DeRozan was selected as an All-Star for the fifth time in his career and the best team for the third time. He also got a fifth-ranking vote in the MVP ticket selection.
Steph Noh, a reporter from TSN website, ranked derazan in the 19th place in the league before the start of the season, between trailblazers liradd and derazan bull teammate Lavin. The bull experienced a difficult start, but drozan’s performance remained at a high level, with 26.2 points in the field.
Even though derazan is 33 years old, he is still one of the best singles and split-ups in NBA. He has never been famous for his defense. Derazan is neither a top defensive soldier nor an attacking organizer. However, his growth in passing in recent years has made him a more comprehensive player.
DeRozan’s contract details
In 2021, as a complete free agent, DeRozan signed a contract with the bull for 3 years and 81.9 million dollars. His contract does not include player options and team options, so he will become a free agent again until the end of next season. DeRozan’s salary this season is 27.3 million dollars, and the salary next season is 28.6 million dollars.
The potential of the derazan deal
Los Angeles Lakers
Both the Lakers and drozan are willing to cooperate. Early before signing the contract with the bull, drozan said that he had seriously considered joining the Lakers. Recently, it was reported that the Lakers had discussed the deal in drozan. Ideally, James and Davis can partner with a better defender or three-point shooter than drozan, but drozan can give the Lakers the offensive efficiency that is currently only the 21st in the league, bring scoring ability and organizational ability. It is no problem for weishao to change DeRozan to Vucevic in salary, otherwise the Lakers must pack at least three players to match DeRozan’s salary. It is estimated that only the two first-round signatures repeatedly discussed by the Lakers can persuade the bull to nod.
Toronto Raptors
This will be a deal that the Raptors are anxious for success, but they do have deep feelings with drozan. What’s more, the Raptors really need a player who can create offensive opportunities after the game slows down. According to data from the Glass website Cleaning, Raptors scored only 89 points per hundred rounds in half-time attacks. Does it sound bad? Yes, this is the last level of NBA. For the Raptors, the salary of pinderazen is not difficult, and the team has all its own first-round signing. This deal may not happen, but it is worth a try.
Miami Heat
The Heat never concealed their desire for stars, and one of drozan’s best friends, Lowry, was also in the heat. When drozan, Butler and Adebayor are present at the same time, the shooting space will definitely become narrow, but like the situation of the Lakers, drozan is definitely helpful to the team with difficult scoring such as heat. Interestingly, Lowry’s contract can be exchanged for drozan alone, but the heat can also package Duncan Robinson’s contract and the right to choose to trade. Croal can also be traded theoretically, but Croal contracts (large contracts that have been renewed in advance have not yet taken effect) will make the transaction complicated.
Dallas Lone Ranger
Dong Qiqi needs help. Is DeRozan the answer? The 23-year-old Dong Qiqi and 33-year-old DeRozan are not in the same development timeline, but for a team that has just reached the Western finals, he lost the second best player in the team in the free agent market in vain. Drozan is worth a try. He can play the role of the creator of the team’s much-needed No. 2 attack opportunity in the Lone Ranger, and can ease the organizational burden on donchic, just like Brunson did at the beginning. Lone Ranger has some medium-paid contracts, so they can offer different quotations for DeRozan. For bulls, the attraction is mainly focused on talent show assets.
Original: Scott Rafferty
Compile: Li Taibai
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