The Los Angeles Lakers have missed out on a number of big names this offseason, but there is at least one option on the table that hasn’t been ruled out.
It’s no secret that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is looking for potential trades to bolster his roster ahead of next season. Los Angeles could be looking to give first-year head coach JJ Redick even more firepower as the team hopes to return to the NBA Finals. That said, the Lakers could be returning a player looking for a fresh start. Acquiring the star will not be easy.
“For example, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Christian Wood are enough to get (Zach) LaVine (assuming he’s willing to give up his trade kicker; arguably a must in any Lakers deal) — but that would be extremely difficult to execute before the season because LA would struggle to stay under a hard second-deck cap to get back to 14 standard contracts,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wrote Tuesday.
LaVine’s relationship with the Chicago Bulls appears to have continued to deteriorate since the start of last season. The former lottery pick was traded to Chicago in a blockbuster deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota in 2017. After the deal, the UCLA product flourished and appeared to be Chicago’s next building block.
However, after several mediocre seasons, LaVine’s frustration boiled over, leading to the disgruntled star being a player who should be traded sooner rather than later. And with the Bulls not close to playoff contention after losing DeMar DeRozan in free agency, it makes sense that the 29-year-old would leave the Windy City.
LaVine played just 25 games last season, averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 45.2 percent shooting. While the sample size is small, the high-flying point guard showed he can still play.
The only downside to a potential deal would be if the Lakers found a way to accommodate his $43 million salary. On the other hand, Pelinka might be able to send as little compensation as possible given the fractured relationship between player and team in Chicago.
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