NBA Trade Rumors: What the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to give up in a trade for Zach LaVine has been revealed.
Entering the season, after not making a huge move during the offseason, there were concerns about whether the Los Angeles Lakers would take a step back this season instead of taking one forward. A little past the quarter-mark of the regular season, it's pretty clear that the Lakers may not be in championship form. In fact, with how much inconsistency they've shown this season, making the playoffs as a top 6 seed may not even be a guarantee.
Considering this is a team that made a run to the Western Conference Finals last season, that has to be viewed as somewhat of a disappointment. Nevertheless, there's still plenty of the regular season to be played and the possibility for improvement at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Losers of four of the last five, there's a growing belief that the Lakers will have to make a big move at the trade deadline if they're going to emerge as a real threat to win a championship this season. One player that the Lakers have been linked less than two months away from the trade deadline is Zach LaVine.
What the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to give up for Zach LaVine
While the Lakers haven't had overwhelming interest in LaVine, they are at the very least intrigued by the idea of such a move at the deadline. The Lakers aren't willing to make an all-in offer for LaVine but according to a recent report, they are willing to build a package centered around D'Angelo Russell.
Of course, the Lakers would have to include another salary in a potential deal. That would almost likely have to include Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura. Considering it's been reported the Lakers don't want to include Reaves in any deals, you'd have to imagine that the odd man out in a potential deal for LaVine would be Hachimura if having to decide between those two.
If the Lakers continue to show genuine inconsistency as we inch closer and closer to the trade deadline, you'd have to imagine this is a deal that they will consider more and more.
The difficulty with such a deal for the Lakers is that acquiring LaVine doesn't guarantee anything for them in terms of winning. LaVine has been criticized his entire career about the fact that he doesn't impact winning. He is a great stat-stuffing but is viewed as a player who doesn't positively impact a team's ability to win. That could be tested on the grandest of stages with the Lakers.
It'll be interesting to see how this narrative advances over the next few weeks. Will LaVine be traded? And will the landing spot be the Lakers?