The Los Angeles Lakers remained quiet prior to the trade deadline last month, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
According to a recent report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers offered Alex Caruso and draft compensation to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for former MVP Derrick Rose.
“Meanwhile, sources say the Lakers offered a package involving Alex Caruso and draft compensation for Derrick Rose, which was rejected as the Pistons had set a high value on the former NBA MVP,” he reported. “The Lakers stood pat at the deadline — and VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka instead upgraded the roster post-deadline. The Lakers remain the No. 1 seed in the West at 47-13.”
There’s no doubt that this would have been a huge move for the Lakers. While Caruso is a fan favorite in Los Angeles, adding Rose would have given the Lakers another premier offensive threat.
Despite suffering multiple serious lower-body injuries throughout his NBA career, Rose has managed to remain a dangerous threat on the offensive side of the court. So far this season, Rose is averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.
If acquired by the Lakers, he would have been able to serve as a clear scoring option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In the end, it’s clear that the two teams could not come to an agreement to get a deal done.
Since the passing of the trade deadline, the Lakers have been active in the buyout market. So far, they’ve added veterans Markieff Morris and Dion Waiters to the roster.
While neither player is quite as talented as Rose, there’s no question that they’ll help the Lakers as they attempt to bring a title to L.A. this season.
