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The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to take a prudent approach to improving the roster via trade. And their targets are becoming clearer.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on their anticipated interest in Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine. But Jovan Buha of The Athletic notes that the Bulls could be aiming for a slightly different trade.
“In conversations I’ve had in recent weeks regarding the Bulls, there is real interest in Zach LaVine. But I think it comes at the right price,” Buha said on the “Hoops Tonight” podcast on November 28. “I’ve actually heard that they’re more interested in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.”
Buha previously reported the Lakers’ interest in the Bulls’ starts.
But their preference as to which star they would prefer to pursue is new. It should come as no surprise, though.
“AC, he’s the one that got away,” Buha said. “It still bothers them inside the organization. It’s still a very divisive topic in terms of his departure and why that happened, and who’s to blame, and it’s just kind of a thorny situation still.”
Caruso got his NBA break with the Lakers in 2017-18 after spending one season in the G League with the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s affiliate. He helped L.A. win its 17th NBA championship just two seasons later. But, when Caruso was approaching and made it to free agency, the Lakers low-balled him, leading to him signing a four-year, $36.9 million contract with the Bulls.
The feisty guard is coming off a season in which he made a career-high 67 appearances and earned First-Team All-Defensive honors.
He is even shooting 46.4% from deep this season, the second-best mark of his career.
“One of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, period,” Buha said. “We’ve seen the success he’s had next to LeBron and AD in a Lakers jersey.”
The Bulls have been reluctant to part with Caruso. And trading LaVine is their priority, per K.C. Johson of NBC Sports Chicago on November 29.
“DeMar is someone that the Lakers have courted for several years now, dating back to originally Toronto and then San Antonio and now in Chicago,” Buha said. “He’s that over-the-top shotmaker that the team seemingly doesn’t really have outside of when LeBron’s jumper is falling.”
DeRozan is a six-time All-Star and a native of Compton, California. He thought he was going to sign with the Lakers in free agency ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Los Angeles ultimately traded for Russell Westbrook, a decision they only got out from under last season around the trade deadline. DeRozan inked a three-year, $81.9 million contract with the Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade from the San Antonio Spurs.
“I think he’s someone that could be a crunchtime option for them and kind of balance out LeBron [James’] pick-and-roll attacks.”
Caruso and DeRozan’s contracts total out to $118.8 million.
As for the interest in LaVine, Buha notes the remainder of the guard’s five-year, $215 million contract as a complicating factor from the Lakers’ perspective.
Lakers’ Interest in Zach LaVine Faces Several Hurdles
“He’s owed … about $130-plus million over the next three years. He’s got a $50-something million dollar player option that I think he’s going to pick up in 2026-27,” Buha said about LaVine. “[The Lakers are] looking at it like, ‘If we’re investing in this, this is kind of a negative contract, right?”
The two-time All-Star’s 77 appearances last season are his most in eight seasons with the Bulls.
But his injury history is significant and includes an arthroscopic procedure ahead of last season that slowed him considerably.
“[The Lakers] don’t want to give up too much in terms of our depth and draft capital and are limited of course in when they can give up certain players,” Buha continued. “And then on top of that, they don’t have much draft capital to include anyway.”
“Zach, you could see the fit there as the third guy, I think. The Lakers haven’t had that third reliable offensive option this season,” Buha said. “I think there’s there’s real interest in all three guys. But from what I’ve been told, DeMar and Alex are higher on their priority list.”
Lakers Lineup Change Creates ‘Need’ for 3rd Star
The Lakers shook up their starting lineup from the regular season opener. They shifted Austin Reaves from the primary shooting guard back to the bench role he manned last season.
“I think Austin has grown into that [reliable third option] more recently,” Buha said. “But with the struggles of that starting group, them moving Austin to the bench, I think they’ve kind of needed that third guy. And I think Austin could do it. But whether you get Zach whether you get DeMar, whether you get someone else, I do think they could use a boost offensively.”
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Los Angeles got a 133-107 win over the bottom-feeding Detroit Pistons on November 29. Perhaps the effort staves off the urge to make a smaller deal. At least until they can trade their players on more expensive deals.
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