Ice Cube's son highlights reasons behind the Lakers' inability to sign players: "West coast teams don’t want them successful"
Rapper Ice Cube's son, O'shea Jackson Jr. shared his two cents on why the LA Lakers are struggling to land players in free agency. His thoughts come on the back of Klay Thompson choosing the Dallas Mavericks over the Purple and Gold.
The 34-year-old, who was favored to ink a deal with the Lakers, eventually signed a three-year contract with the Mavericks to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
'Straight Outta Compton' star Jackson Jr. took to Twitter/X to respond to a fan tweet about teams not wanting to deal with the franchise amid what has been a busy offseason.
"West coast teams don’t want Lakers successful.
East coast teams don’t want Bron successful."
It has been quiet on the free agency front so far for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. They have been linked with a few names, including Brook Lopez, Buddy Hield and DeMar DeRozan, but there have not been any concrete moves so far.
Earlier, Jackson Jr. had tweeted that he was keeping an eye on Pelinka's moves during the offseason. Now, he has a theory that incorporates why James' major years in the East and the LA's dominance in the West could have played a part.
The LA Lakers are reportedly in talks with DeMar DeRozan's agent for a potential move
With Klay Thompson out, LA has moved to their next target. Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is one of the marquee names available on the list of free agents this summer.
With LeBron James reportedly willing to take a pay cut to accommodate a third star, league insider Chris Haynes reported that the team was in talks with DeRozan's agent, Aaron Goodwin.
"DeMar DeRozan is the biggest free agent left out there on the board. It will either take a sign-and-trade or it will take the Lakers getting creative, removing some players, clearing the books to be able to get DeMar over there.
"I know there have been communication between the Lakers and DeMar’s agent Aaron Goodwin. It will either take a one-year deal, or a sign-and-trade — we can get a three-year deal.”
While DeRozan is a certified bucket and can serve as the perfect third-scorer, he does come with limitations on shooting 3s and defense. The veteran is a mid-range sniper coming off a season averaging 24.0 points and 5.3 assists a game for the Bulls. The Purple and Gold have a big move to make, and only time will tell if it's DeRozan.