Lakers Declining DeMar DeRozan Pursuit Is Actually a Step in Right Direction amid Latest NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't exactly batting 1.000 during the 2026 NBA offseason.

They paid a fortune for non-star center Walker Kessler, lost a whole host of contributors from last season's 53-win team and spent heavily on role players who don't necessarily address the team's biggest needs.

They did, however, get their latest decision right. Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers "are not considered to be a potential landing spot" for recently waived Southern California native DeMar DeRozan.

Given all of the production the Lakers have lost this summer, it felt easy connecting dots between them and DeRozan.

This past season, they could lean on LeBron James to provide all of the scoring and shot-creation support that Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves needed. Without James, whom the Lakers didn't show much interest in keeping, L.A.'s new third option is...hmmm? Quentin Grimes? Collin Sexton? Kessler as a play-finisher, maybe?

It obviously won't be anyone as decorated as James, since there really isn't anyone around the Association who can even make that claim. But it won't be a player as decorated as DeRozan, either. He is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection with more than 26,000 points and 5,000 assists on his resume.

You can see, then, why logic would have led folks to link the Lakers to him.

Yet, L.A. was wise to stay away here. And the reasons why are, like most things in Lakerland recently, all related to Dončić.

When you think about the things Dončić needs from his support players, DeRozan provides none of the most important ones. The most complementary wings for Dončić are shooters who can defend. DeRozan has never bothered to even hoist many long-range looks, and he has never been known for his defense. (Or not known for good reasons, at least.)

He is a ball-dominant, inside-the-arc scorer. And he is closing in on his 37th birthday. All the billboards along this highway are saying, "Stay Away!" in flashing lights.

The Lakers got this one right. Inactivity is sometimes the best activity, and that's clearly the case here.

DeRozan is a good player. Full stop. Even at his age, he is a helpful piece on the offensive end. He can be a primary scoring option on his good nights and a rock solid No. 2 or 3 on his normal ones. He can create shots, too, for himself and his teammates.

He will add multiple elements—and a lot of numbers—to whatever offense he joins.

For this attack, though, he just wasn't going to fit. He would've squeezed the spacing alongside Dončić and answered none of the defensive questions. Even if the idea would've been to use DeRozan mostly in the non-Dončić minutes, those already have a capable conductor in Sexton. (And Reaves whenever JJ Redick staggers the minutes of his go-to guards.)

Anyone worried about the stats the Lakers have sacrificed this summer might have been itching to see a DeRozan pursuit, but L.A. is smart for sitting this one out.