Los Angeles Lakers: Would Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan be a better fit?

Would Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan be a better fit on the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers may not have much cap space or great value in terms of trade assets, but when you’re a big-name franchise such as the Lakers, you will always have the opportunity to make a splash during the offseason.

And this summer is not shaping up to be any different. The Lakers intend on making an upgrade to the roster and there are two names that have been linked to the team recently. According to a recent report, both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have an interest in joining the Lakers this offseason.

Both are free agents but will likely demand big paydays. If the Lakers were to land one of these two players, it will almost have to be via sign-and-trade. However, those cap gymnastics aside, we explore which of these two players would be a better fit for the team.

The case for Kyle Lowry

For the Lakers, adding Lowry would be a huge win. He’d be a fit in an area of need, would be an upgrade to Dennis Schroder, and has the championship pedigree that the team would likely be looking for at the lead-guard position.

Even though Lowry is the older of the two, he’s proven that he can perform at a high level in the playoffs and has gotten that monkey off his back by helping the Toronto Raptors win a championship a couple of years ago.

Lowry is a good two-way player, a better playmaker than he gets credit for, and an overall winning player. He’s exactly what the Lakers were missing this past season.

The case for DeMar DeRozan

Even though you want and prefer shooters around LeBron and AD, I can’t help but feel like another strong scorer would be great for this team. Especially on the nights when the Lakers want to give LeBron or AD a night off, DeRozan carve himself a great role as a third option and a secondary playmaker – he improved in that aspect of his game with the Spurs last season.

Of course, especially in today’s NBA, the lack of a consistent 3-point shot is nothing that can be easily overlooked. It could end up being a big disadvantage for the Lakers overall and would certainly hurt the team overall considering this team was a bottom 10 team in 3-point percentage last season.

Ultimately, it’s easy to see why Lowry may be the move that makes the most sense. But, considering age, the Lakers should very well think hard about DeRozan (if in fact their free-agent plans coming down to making a move for one of these two players).

Either way, the hope is that the Lakers will have options heading into the offseason. And if these early reports are true, it seems like there are man big-name players that would be open to joining the Lakers this offseason.