Trade season is set to really kick into gear in the NBA as the Dec. 15 date in which most players signed this past offseason are eligible to be dealt nears. The Los Angeles Lakers have already found themselves in the rumor mill, in particular being linked Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine.
It seems more and more likely that LaVine’s time with the Bulls is coming to an end, and with the Lakers having an inconsistent start to the season, a move for an All-Star talent like LaVine was sure to be rumored. The Lakers, of course, aren’t the only team to be mentioned as a potential landing spot, but he is apparently the preferred destination.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, LaVine and his reps prefer to be dealt to the Lakers because of the connection to Klutch Sports and L.A. will soon have a number of players eligible to deal:
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.
Lakers who would be eligible to be moved Friday include Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood.
Any time a player is represented by Klutch Sports, it feels as if they are automatically linked to the Lakers and LaVine would be a good fit in L.A. on paper. He is also familiar with the area, having gone to college at UCLA, and the Lakers would put him on a true championship contender which he has never been on.
One major concern for LaVine, however, is his injury history. LaVine is currently out for at least a couple weeks dealing with a foot injury and has dealt with knee and quad issues over the past few seasons in addition to a torn ACL in 2017.
The Lakers will soon have the pieces available to swing a deal for LaVine if they choose to, and it sounds as if he wants to come. But whether the Lakers want to do that deal themselves is a question mark.
Lakers more interested in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso than Zach LaVine?
In fact, if the Lakers were to make a deal with the Bulls, it sounds as if they would prefer DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso as opposed to LaVine.
A recent report stated that the Lakers view Caruso as one player who got away that shouldn’t have. He was a big part of the team’s 2020 championship run and the Lakers would love to bring him back. DeRozan is also from the area and would give the Lakers another excellent scorer to boost the offense.
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