Lakers insider drops truth bomb on the team’s ‘real’ interest in Zach LaVine

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is no stranger to being in trade rumors. He’s also been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers numerous times in the past.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team’s interest in him is real — at the right price.

“The Lakers’ interest in LaVine is real — at the right price,” Buha wrote. “However, LaVine’s potential availability also hints at the possibility of a fire sale in Chicago, with the organization seemingly looking to finally pivot away from its longstanding mediocrity. If additional Bulls players become available, the Lakers would also have interest in DeMar DeRozan and/or former Laker Alex Caruso, according to multiple team sources.”

Interestingly enough, Buha recently said that he believes the Lakers will target one of LaVine, DeRozan or Caruso. DeRozan is another player that has been linked to the Lakers in the past, while Caruso played for the Purple and Gold for the first four seasons of his NBA career before joining the Bulls.

The Bulls have started out the 2023-24 season flat, as they are 4-8 after a Wednesday loss to the Orlando Magic. Calls for the team to blow things up have increased recently.

Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Bulls and LaVine have “increased openness” about a possible trade.

As for the Lakers, they’re now 6-6 after losing at home on Wednesday to the Sacramento Kings. Injuries to key players haven’t helped the team, but it seems as though there might be an element missing.

Perhaps Los Angeles’ front office believes LaVine has that element. He excels on the offensive end and isn’t the best defender out there, so it’d be interesting to see how he’d fit in with the team.

He’s currently putting up 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game this season while knocking down just 40.7 percent of his shots from the field and 33.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. It’s been a bit of a down year by his standards.

Only time will tell if a deal between the Lakers and Bulls gets done. Trade restrictions on certain Lakers players like D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura might hold up a deal for the time being.