Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers miss out on some of their other options this offseason, their trade road could lead them back to the Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine. If it does, there could be one deal that ends up making a ton of sense for both sides. That involves D'Angelo Russell opting into the final year of his contract (with the guarantee of being traded) and then being shipped to Chicago alongside Rui Hachimura in exchange for LaVine.
The Bulls would be able to continue to retool around DeMar DeRozan with Russell and Hachimura while the Lakers would get another All-Star talent to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In this deal, Los Angeles would also not have to part ways with any of their future first-round picks or Austin Reaves, who they very much want to keep on their roster moving forward.
There could be a point this season in which the Lakers are desperate to make a trade. That's where Chicago could swoop in and somewhat take advantage of Los Angeles' aggressiveness heading into the offseason.