The Kings recently acquired the formidable DeRozan through a sign-and-trade deal.
In a recent interview, renowned journalist Shams stated that,
“At the time, DeRozan’s potential destinations were narrowed down to just two teams—the Kings and the Heat—both of whom were aggressively pursuing a trade. The Lakers, on the other hand, only showed simple interest in DeRozan, with no further action taken. I was informed that the Lakers did not make any offers or propose a sign-and-trade concept to the Bulls.”
It is important to note that sign-and-trade deals are a privilege reserved for teams below the first luxury tax line. Despite LeBron James taking a $3 million pay cut, the Lakers remain above this threshold. To bring their total payroll under the first luxury tax line would require James to take an approximate $20 million pay reduction.
