NBA Rumors: 8 Trade targets Lakers could pivot to after missing out on free agents

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

It's actually unfortunate how much the narrative around Zach LaVine has changed over the last couple of seasons. At this point, the Chicago Bulls are essentially begging teams to take LaVine off their hands. As you would expect, they've had no luck. But if the Los Angeles Lakers do get desperate enough, they should be open to listening. If the Bulls attach a first-round pick to LaVine, the Lakers could be a team that is willing to take a flier or rehabilitate LaVine's career.

There are a few certainties about LaVine. For one, he's overpaid. That contract isn't great. He's due nearly $140 million over the next three seasons and it won't be easy to find a team willing to pay him that. At the same time, LaVine is talented. He's a good player. Is he $40-plus million per season good? Probably not. But he can be an effective third option.

And that's exactly what he would be on the Lakers. If Los Angeles is willing to take a flier on LaVine, they might be one of the few potential landing spots where it could work. Again, the Lakers would have to reach an extremely desperate place to pull the trigger on a LaVine deal, but we can't completely take it off the table just yet.