NBA Rumors: Zach LaVine reportedly wants to be traded to Western Conference powerhouse. The question is, will it actually happen?
Less than two months into the NBA Trade Deadline, it seems almost like a foregone conclusion that Zach LaVine is going to be traded. That's the worst-kept secret going around in the NBA at the moment. The real question is, where will he be traded?
With reports surfacing that his trade market leaves much to be desired, it's going to be interesting to see how the Bulls operate this deal over the next few weeks. Ideally, this is a move that gets done before the trade deadline. But if that is going to happen, Chicago may end up having to take pennies on the dollar.
Would the Bulls do that just for the sake of getting LaVine off the roster? It'll be interesting to see how this storyline plays out. Even though the trade market for LaVine doesn't appear to be vast, there's one place that he would like to land. According to a recent report, LaVine wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are a team that is expected to show interest in LaVine ahead of the deadline.
Will the Los Angeles Lakers go all-in for Zach LaVine?
It's no surprise that there is mutual interest between LaVine and the Lakers. It's a connection that would make sense. The Lakers could use a difference-making offensive player to take some of the load off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and LaVine very much needs to land in a spot where he isn't asked to do everything every night.
The Lakers could be the spot that salvages his career. However, there are a few hurdles that the Lakers would need to cross to make this happen.
For one, they would have to send out quite a bit of money in any deal. That means at the very least, D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura would have to be on the move. They would then need to find other pieces that would appease Chicago in a potential deal.
Would LA's only trade-eligible future first-round pick be enough to get a deal done? Who knows, but you'd have to imagine that the Bulls would push for more and perhaps even for young talent such as Austin Reaves in any deal with Los Angeles.
There's no guarantee that Los Angeles is willing to do that for LaVine. Even if he wants to play for the Lakers, it's far from a guarantee that it will actually come to fruition.