The Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks is sure to turn the volume up on trade rumors.
They may want to think twice about one of their most popular rumored targets, though.
“[Zach] LaVine sounds ideal next to LeBron [LaVine] because he can shoot,” wrote Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic on December 12. “But put LaVine on the Lakers, stash him in the corner and see how that goes. What we might think is good for LaVine and what LaVine might want for LaVine could be vastly different.”
There is a long-standing charge that star-level players who team up with James are often reduced to being off-ball players. LaVine is typically one of the more efficient players in the league, be it on or off the ball.
But his recent tenure in Chicago has featured clashes with head coach Billy Donovan over his role and reports of locker room turmoil.
LaVine also has a history of knee injuries.
They include a torn ACL in 2017 and an arthroscopic procedure ahead of the 2022-23 season that slowed him to start the campaign. He is currently out another three-plus weeks dealing with foot inflammation and was not playing up to his normal standards before that. Caruso also comes with an extensive injury history.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the Lakers’ interest in LaVine is “real”. But he added that they would prefer to land Bulls stars Alex Caruso and/or DeMar DeRozan in a trade instead.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson presented a scenario in which the Bulls could have to include Caruso in a package to trade LaVine.
The latter’s exorbitant five-year, $215 million contract among other things has limited interest.
That may be a long shot, though, since Caruso should fetch a hefty enough sum in a package by himself. But there could be a pathway for the Lakers to secure two of their top three trade targets and not have to surrender any additional draft capital to do it. That doesn’t mean the price wouldn’t be quite steep, though.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson presented a scenario in which the Bulls could have to include Caruso in a package to trade LaVine.
The latter’s exorbitant five-year, $215 million contract among other things has limited interest.
That may be a long shot, though, since Caruso should fetch a hefty enough sum in a package by himself. But there could be a pathway for the Lakers to secure two of their top three trade targets and not have to surrender any additional draft capital to do it. That doesn’t mean the price wouldn’t be quite steep, though.
“They definitely need a point-of-attack defender like Caruso to defend some of the better ball-dominant players in the league,” Gozlan argued.
Caruso is also on a bargain three-year, $36.9 million contract.
Laker Practicing Patience in Trade Market
Whether by choice or by circumstance, the Lakers are in no rush to make a move. They had won 12 of their last 16 games coming into Tuesday’s contest, though this latest loss against a short-handed Mavs team may alter that thinking some considering the efforts wasted.
LaVine may not be the Lakers’ top choice. But he is among them. And, if they can get him at a discount, it makes all the more sense to pursue a trade. Including Reaves to land Caruso is another conversation and, in some ways, a lateral move given their following among the fanbase and faith in them within the organization.
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