The odds are stacked against the Los Angeles Lakers to make a championship run this season with the same roster that lost in five games in the first round of the last NBA playoffs.
But Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey cooked a blockbuster three-team trade proposal that could give the Lakers a third star without giving up Austin Reaves. It’s a trade idea that would form a potent quartet of firepower to maximize LeBron James‘ final years in the NBA and help him get the fifth ring that would tie him with Kobe Bryant.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Zach LaVine and Antonio Reeves
Chicago Bulls Receive: Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round pick (from Los Angeles) and a 2031 first-round pick (from Los Angeles)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Rui Hachimura, Chris Duarte, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and a 2031 first-round pick (from Chicago)
While the cost looks hefty, as the Lakers would cough up their remaining draft capital, LaVine ” would provide a greater and more consistent scoring punch than L.A.’s most recent third-leading scorer, D’Angelo Russell,” according to Bailey.
Zach LaVine Gives Lakers Backcourt More Size
A LaVine-Austin Reaves pairing gives the Lakers more size in their backcourt. And the 6-foot-5 LaVine is more athletic than the 6-foot-3 Russell.
“LaVine isn’t exactly a lockdown perimeter defender, but he is longer than Russell (who’s often been a genuine disaster on that end),” Bailey wrote.
It can also be argued that LaVine is substantially better than Russell overall when he’s healthy.
During the 2022-23 season, when LaVine played 77 games, he was the league’s 56th best player, according to FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR, a plus-minus statistic that measures the number of points a player contributes to his team’s offense and defense per 100 possessions, relative to a league-average player.
Russell, who played the second half of that season with the Lakers, was ranked 87th.
LeBron James Was Open to Adding Zach LaVine Last Trade Deadline
When the Lakers mulled their options at the February trade deadline, James was open to a trade for two guards who were linked to them that time, according to The Athletic.
One of them was the Bulls’ two-time NBA All-Star guard.
“James was also in support of the Lakers trading for Dejounte Murray or Zach LaVine — two Klutch Sports clients — in the weeks and months leading into the 2024 trade deadline, according to those sources,” Sam Amick, Anthony Slater, Jovan Buha reported on February 14.
After LaVine only played 25 games last season, his trade value plummeted. The Bulls desperately looked to unload him but there were no takers.
And despite James’ interested in having LaVine as a teammate, the Lakers stood pat and did not make a move this offseason.
LaVine’s onerous contract — over $136 million in the next three years — is the main reason on top his lengthy injury history why teams have have shunned him in this dreaded second-apron era.
Lakers Exploring Trade for Big Man
Instead of cashing in on all their remaining assets for a star like LaVine, the Lakers are looking in another direction.
On October 10, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Lakers are exploring adding a center via trade.
“Sources tell me the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center, to their roster,” Charania said on his “NBA Today” debut. “Not sure exactly when that will take place, but they have started looking into the marketplace.”
The Lakers’ frontline is thin with Christian Wood still recovering from an ankle injury and Christian Koloko still awaiting NBA’s medical clearance.
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Lakers Add Third Star in 3-Team Trade Pitch Without Giving up Austin Reaves