Los Angeles Lakers not prioritizing a Zach LaVine trade.
While young guard Zach LaVine may be the most accomplished player on the Bulls roster, the Los Angeles Lakers have put him low on their list of priorities this season.
Instead, the Purple and Gold are looking towards LaVine’s teammates, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, as their top trade targets.
“I actually heard that they’re more interested in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso than LaVine. He’s the one that got away,” said Lakers insider Jovan Buha. “Lakers fans, it still bothers them. Inside the organization, it’s still a very divisive topic.
And then DeMar is someone that the Lakers have courted for several years now. Both of those guys are on more manageable contracts. Alex has a partial guarantee for next season, and DeMar has an expiring contract… both of those guys make more sense with what the Lakers need.”
The Lakers had the opportunity to chase star power this summer, but they elected to reinforce their support cast instead. While that decision has paid off in several ways, it hasn’t quite achieved the results the team was hoping for and now a deal for someone like DeRozan, Caruso, or LaVine is very much on the table.
Somehow, even in his 21st season, LeBron James has been left to carry the load for the Lakers. Meanwhile, his co-star and sidekick Anthony Davis continues to delay his takeover of the team with inconsistent play and injury-riddled campaigns. It’s gotten to a point now where the Lakers actually need a third guy to step up when Davis is struggling and take some pressure off the aging LeBron James.
Young guard Austin Reaves was supposed to fill that role for the Lakes this season but he’s been pretty underwhelming so far with averages of 13.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game on 33% shooting from deep and it’s no secret that the Bulls would covet Reaves in any potential Lakers trade.
While LaVine would certainly provide a boost for the Lakers offensively, more proven veterans like DeRozan or Caruso might be a better fit for how the Lakers want to play. Certainly, their salaries are much easier to swallow than the $37.1 million LaVine is making per year.
Lakers On The Trade Market
At 10-8 this season, the Lakers are teetering on the edge of the top six in the West and one or two tweaks to the roster could be all they need to make a serious run.
The question is, which players should the Lakers consider trading for? Besides any of the Bulls’ players, potential names include players such as Bojan Bogdanovic, Cole Anthony, and Collin Sexton.
Either way, as one of the worst offensive-rated teams in the league (25th overall), the Lakers certainly need some more consistent production from the role-players, and it seems to be a recurring issue for the organization.
If Pelinka is willing to give up some players of his own, this could be the year that he finally adds another elite perimeter threat next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
But until the Lakers have a better shooting option than D’Angelo Russell, they will always be a step behind when it comes to keeping up with the NBA’s best teams.
Caruso and DeRozan would not solve all of the Lakers’ problems, but their talents and team-friendly deals make them the ideal candidates to lure interest from the Purple and Gold.
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