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Chicago Bulls’ two-time All-Star Zach LaVine is open to moving to California. But it’s not just exclusively to the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, LaVine is also entertaining thoughts about a move to the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers’ rising Pacific Division rivals.
“For all the public focus on the prospect of [LeBron] James and [Anthony] Davis teaming up with LaVine with the Lakers, the overlooked part is that Kings star De’Aaron Fox is a major priority for Klutch Sports these days as well. Per league sources, LaVine would be very amenable to a Sacramento move that would make him Fox’s backcourt mate,” Amick wrote.
The report came five days after Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley linked LaVine to the Lakers because of having the same representation as the team’s top stars James and Davis.
“The Bulls have been linked to the Lakers and Raptors in the rumor mill, but multiple sources said LaVine and his representation obviously want Los Angeles because of the Klutch Sports connection,” Cowley wrote.
Rich Paul Pushes Back on the Lakers Narrative
Klutch Sports’ founder Rich Paul vehemently refuted Cowley’s report to Amick.
“It’s not one team,” Paul told Amick, in response to the Lakers rumor. “I don’t have a specific destination for Zach. I want what’s best for Zach and his family. When you have a guy playing the game, you want him to be able to play the game happy, whether that’s in Chicago or somewhere else.”
With LaVine’s trade market slow to develop, the Lakers and the Kings could find themselves in a tug-of-war as the February 8 trade deadline approaches.
The Kings, currently leading the Pacific Division with a 15-9 record, fifth overall in the Western Conference, are looking for additional offensive firepower.
Ditto with the Lakers, who are trailing the Kings with a 15-11 record, good for eighth overall in the West. The Lakers need an offensive boost, having a bottom-10 offensive rating in the league after their humbling loss to the San Antonio Spurs on December 15.
The Kings are in the middle of the pack with the 14th-best offensive rating entering their December 18 matchup against the lowly Washington Wizards.
Lakers, Kings Keeping Their Young Stars Off Limits
The Lakers and Kings have drawn a line in the sand in a potential run at LaVine.
Both teams would want to keep their top young players — Lakers’ Austin Reaves and Kings’ Keegan Murray — in any in-season trade.
“With all of those possible scenarios in mind, this much seems clear: The notion of the Kings offering second-year forward Keegan Murray seems even more unlikely than before after his 47-point, 12-three-pointer outing against Utah on Saturday night. That was the widely held consensus even before he put together the best outing of his young career,” Amick wrote.
As for the Lakers, they still highly value Reaves despite his demotion from the starting unit where he became a big liability on defense. Reaves is thriving in his usual Sixth Man role, averaging 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists. His defense though has to improve if he is to make the major leap to stardom.
“But by all indications, the Lakers remain as committed to Reaves as they were when they gave him a four-year, $56 million deal last summer,” Amick wrote.
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