NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring three bold ways the Los Angeles Lakers can acquire Zach LaVine.
Through the first few weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been pretty much what many expected. They’re 6-5 and have been pretty inconsistent. Despite the greatness of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers still very much look like a team that is a star-level addition away from truly competing for an NBA Championship this season. Especially with how the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets have looked thus far.
The good news for the Lakers is that a lifeline may have just been dropped on their laps. According to recent reports, Zach LaVine could be on the trade block soon. If the Chicago Bulls don’t turn things around quickly, it seems as if he’s going to be shopped ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. Naturally, the Lakers are expected to be one of the potential landing spots.
Why a trade for Zach LaVine could be tricky for the Los Angeles Lakers
However, a trade for LaVine could be easier said than done. Because of the hefty contracts that the Lakers have on their roster, the front office would likely have to get creative in order to get a deal done.
If the Lakers are set on finding a path toward a deal, there are possible paths. Let’s explore three bold proposals that could help the Lakers land LaVine as their final piece of the puzzle.
Los Angeles Lakers land Zach LaVine and Jevon Carter
In this first potential deal for Zach LaVine, the Los Angeles Lakers would have to give up D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura to make the money work. In order for this deal to be worth it for the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers would also throw in Austin Reaves, a rising young talent, and a 2029 first-round pick. Chicago would also send Jevon Carter to give the Lakers another guard to help with their depth after the trade.
This deal would essentially leave the Lakers with a starting 5 of Gabe Vincent, Zach LaVine, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Anthony Davis. This is a deal that would certainly make the Lakers a lot more top-heavy as they would lose a good chunk of their depth off the bench. The big question is whether or not Los Angeles believes this deal would be worth it.
On one hand, losing depth could hurt the Lakers in the long run. However, at the same time, LaVine could be the third supporting star that the team has been seeking ever since the Russell Westbrook experiment faltered.
Los Angeles Lakers add LaVine and Caruso
If the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to take full advantage of a potential trade with the Chicago Bulls, perhaps they could look to expand the horizons of a possible blockbuster deal between the two teams. In other words, why just target Zach LaVine when you can kill two birds with one stone and carry out discussions for Alex Caruso (who they’ve been already linked to) at the same time? In this potential deal, the Lakers would try to pry LaVine and Caruso away from Chicago.
It would begin with the framework that was included in the previous offer – D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves. They would add Jalen Hood-Schifino, three second-round picks, and keep the 2029 first-round pick in the offer.
If the Bulls would be open to such an offer – you’d have to think that would rely on what the trade market looks like for both players – the Lakers would add a third supporting star next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis while also adding depth with Caruso. He’s also a player that seems to do nearly everything right. This is a deal that could make the Lakers a favorite to win the 2024 NBA title.
The Los Angeles Lakers get a third team involved
If the Los Angeles Lakers do end up making the move for Zach LaVine, there’s probably a very good chance that it’s going to rely on the participation of a third team. If that does end up being the case, the San Antonio Spurs are a team to keep an eye on. They were interested in Austin Reaves during the offseason and perhaps they’d be open to revisiting that interest in a blockbuster deal before the NBA Trade Deadline.
In this deal, the Spurs would receive Reaves and Jalen Hood-Schifino and send out Malaki Banham, Cedi Osman, and a future first-round pick to help push this deal across the finish line. The Lakers would get LaVine (from the Bulls) and Osman (from the Spurs). And the Bulls would get the haul of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Branham, a protected 2026 first-round pick from San Antonio, and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles.
If the Lakers need to get creative to finalize a deal for LaVine, this is a possibility that could work. Whether the Spurs would want to do so remains to be seen, but Reaves could be a good veteran presence to put in the young Spurs locker room.
The Lakers’ path toward landing LaVine could be complicated but it is possible. The question is, how badly do they want to make it happen? And will the Bulls be a willing participant?