Anonymous Western Conference Exec believes Lakers must make a move for Zach LaVine: Reports
One Western Conference executive believes the LA Lakers must make the trade for Zach LaVine. LA Times' Dan Woike's latest saw the analyst weigh in on the Chicago Bulls shooting guard's future in the league, and after talking to execs from both Conferences, added that the Lakers need to make a splash for a big name to stand a chance of winning a title this season.
The Lakers have not made any substantial moves this summer and missed out on landing marquee names in Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valenciunas — all of whom were their targets ahead of free agency.
"This West executive, who understands the Lakers’ situation pretty well for someone outside the organization, said he’d point them in a direction they were rumored to be headed in 10 months ago. 'I’d call Chicago and make a move for Zach LaVine,' the executive told me."
LaVine's health and the hefty contract have worked against him and garnered little to no interest from rival teams. While he was linked to the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, neither move panned out with the 76ers landing Paul George.
As for LA, they are running it back with the same roster this season under a new head coach in JJ Redick. While a move for LaVine does boost them offensively, they will have to sacrifice roster depth to land the swingman.
Zach LaVine has been a longtime name linked to the LA Lakers
The former UCLA guard has been perennially linked to the LA Lakers even before the end of the 2022-23 season. If the Lakers indeed decide to move in for Zach LaVine, they will have to match his $138 million contract, which would mean sacrificing the likes of D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent.
Earlier, Lakers insider Jovan Buha had also added that the guard was "Intrigued" at the idea of playing for LA alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Still, the front office shifted focus to other stars, and given the lack of development on that end, the thought appears to be the same. JJ Redick made it public that LA needed a "bruising center" and that might be their next major move.
There's no doubt that LaVine is a certified bucket when healthy and will richly complement James. The non-LeBron minutes will not have a void offensively, but much depends on Zach LaVine's health. That said, the trade market has always sprung surprises, making it hard for this move to be ruled out.