Jay Williams explained how great of a fit Zach LaVine can be alongside LeBron James if the Lakers can swing a trade with the Bulls.
The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high, as they are coming off a resounding 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the final of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
They are celebrating the honor of becoming the first-ever winner of the NBA Cup, and deservedly so, but they will still have their sights set on winning the NBA championship in June, with LeBron James lasered in on winning his fifth ring.
However, as presently constructed, the Lakers will be facing an uphill battle when it comes to being the team that stands tall come the end of the season. Over multiple seven-game series, the better team almost always wins out, and in the Western Conference alone, there are many teams (such as the reigning champion Denver Nuggets) that will be difficult for the Lakers to overcome.
Thus, there are some pundits who believe that swinging a trade for a third All-Star caliber player, such as Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, could end up pushing LeBron James and the Lakers over the hump.
“Zach is the Swiss Army knife that can open up things for them offensively because you can utilize him in the pick-and-roll with LeBron, you know? And he’s also good at playing off the ball for LeBron to have a dude like that with spacing… I think he’s the key,” retired NBA guard Jay Williams said when he spoke with Brandon “Scoop B Robinson on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
Of course, at the moment, there is nothing imminent on the Zach LaVine trade front between the Lakers and the Bulls, especially when LaVine is still recovering from a foot injury that, more likely than not, will keep him out for the rest of 2023. But the Lakers certainly have a strong reason to pursue LaVine.
As Jay Williams said, LaVine can do his damage both on and off the ball, which is crucial if he were to become the third banana for the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He is a career 38.2 percent shooter from deep (on high degree of difficulty shots), and he can also take control of the offense when James sits. The trade could cost the Lakers Austin Reaves, but LaVine certainly improves the team in the short-term as they maximize the King’s remaining years.
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