One Western Conference executive believes that the Los Angeles Lakers should trade for Chicago Bulls Star Zach LaVine, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike.
“One conversation I had last week, though, really surprised me,” Woike wrote. “This West executive, who understands the Lakers’ situation pretty well for someone outside the organization, said he’d point them in a direction they were rumored to be headed in 10 months ago. ‘I’d call Chicago and make a move for Zach LaVine,’ the executive told me.”
Last season, it had been reported that the Lakers were interested in LaVine, but they ultimately didn’t end up making a deal for the two-time All-Star.
LaVine’s 2023-24 season was shortened due to an injury, as he appeared in just 25 games. Still, the former lottery pick averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range.
LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million deal with the Bulls prior to the 2022-23 season, making him an interesting player to consider in a trade.
The star guard’s contract isn’t very appealing, as he’s set to make over $43 million this season, and the Lakers would likely have to package multiple players together in order to match salaries to get a deal done for LaVine with Chicago.
The Bulls appear to be in a rebuild this season, as they traded away guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder and let DeMar DeRozan walk via a sign-and-trade in free agency.
After missing the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, Chicago may want to go into a full reset if it can find a team to take LaVine’s massive contract.
While the Lakers could use another scorer and star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, LaVine may not be the best fit.
First off, he has struggled to stay healthy in his career, appearing in 25 games last season and less than 70 games in six of the seven seasons he’s been in Chicago. LaVine did play in 77 games during the 2022-23 season, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Bulls into a playoff spot.
LaVine would be one of the better scorers on the Lakers – if they made a trade for him – but Los Angeles would be committing to him for the long haul since he has two seasons, and a player option for a third season, left on his contract.
With the Lakers looking to maximize their title window with James on the roster, LaVine may not be the player that Lakers fans are eyeing as the top target for the front office heading into the 2024-25 season.
