Lakers ‘Wary’ of Fallout From Potential Trade for $215 Million All-Star

Getty Anthony Davis #3 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

If the Los Angeles Lakers reaching the In-Season Tournament championship – and their 8-3 run over their last 11 games – has shown anything, it is that they still boast plenty of firepower when they are healthy. They just had not been healthy to start the season.

Perhaps that, as much as anything else, is giving them the confidence to practice patience when it comes to any trades they may want to pursue.

The available targets are also giving them cause for pause, though.

“Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls (and Klutch) is the hot name league-wide now,” wrote Zach Lowe of ESPN on December 8. “The sense around the league is that the Lakers are wary of boosting their weak half (offense) at the expense of their defense (and their cap sheet) in any potential LaVine deals.”

Jovan Buha of The Athletic described the Lakers’ interest in LaVine as “real”. But Buha also noted the Lakers have more interest in trading for LaVine’s teammates Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan.

LaVine, 28, is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract. The total value of Caruso – a former championship Laker – and DeRozan’s contracts is $118.8 million.

The Bulls are also on a three-game winning streak, their first of the season, with LaVine out.

LaVine has missed the Bulls’ last three games as he recovers from foot inflammation. The Bulls’ 22nd-ranked defensive rating has climbed a couple of spots to 20th, ranking sixth in his absence, per NBA.com. L.A.’s defensive rating ranks seventh overall this season.

Lakers’ Approach Aligns With Key NBA Date

“No one should close any potential trading doors yet, as none have really been opened,” Lowe wrote. “The Lakers cannot make major moves until Jan. 15, when some free agents they signed last summer become trade-eligible.”

Two of the most common names in that group are D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. Both were mentioned in connection to a trade for LaVine when healthy.

LaVine will miss at least the next three to four weeks resting his foot.

“Ironically, this takes the Bulls and Zach LaVine right up to that … January 15 date when all the free agents will be eligible to be traded from last summer,” Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on December 7. “So when you think about teams like the Lakers – D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura – those two guys will both be trade eligible come January 15th.”

Russell is not a strong defender. And although Hachimura’s defense has been an asset for the Lakers in certain situations, they have the wing depth to withstand his inclusion in a potential trade for LaVine if that is the route they choose.

Proposed Trade Lands Zach LaVine on Lakers

This all reads like public negotiations. Lowe is certain other trade targets will emerge as the weeks go on. But that is no guarantee.

The Lakers could look to take advantage of a lacking trade market for LaVine.

Lakers get:

– D’Angelo Russell
– Rui Hachimura
– 2029 first-round pick

Bulls get:

– Zach LaVine

This deal would give the Lakers the dynamic perimeter scorer and an above-the-rim threat in LaVine who is unlike anything on the current roster. The Bulls would secure valuable draft capital and a pair of players they can use in future deals if they want.

There is also a world where the Lakers could acquire Caruso with Lavine. That seems like a longshot given the latter’s standalone value around the league, though.