If things stay quiet much longer, their hopes of finding an NBA elite—or even near-elite—could be out the window.
There is, however, a six-time All-Star still on the board, and it’s someone LeBron James apparently hopes his club can get.
James has indicated a willingness to take less than the max if it helps the team add a significant player. DeMar DeRozan reportedly meets that criteria, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. It’s possible DeRozan is the less one left, too, as Buha noted James’ original list included Klay Thompson, James Harden and Jonas Valančiūnas, all of whom have agreed to deals elsewhere.
DeRozan would be a good get, especially if the L.A. native would be gettable for the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. He wouldn’t fill this club’s biggest needs, though, or provide the kind of on-court boost that would transform this play-in team into a title contender.
First appeared on bleacherreport.com