Rumor: Zach LaVine Wants to Be a Laker

https://sports.yahoo.com/bulls-guard-zach-lavine-reportedly-wants-to-be-dealt-to-lakers-192111629.html

What do you guys think of a potential trade? Who would you give up for LaVine?

I’m uncertain about this trade for a number of reasons, so I gotta try to do the pros and cons. Let’s just assume the Lakers could swing a trade with the Bulls to swap D-Lo, Rui, and Gabe for LaVine. Pros: Zach LaVine is a proven 2x All-Star in his 10 year career, and is still in his prime at 28 years old. He’s a piece who could remain as something to build around with AD even after King James retires. Plus, since Zach LaVine wants to be a Laker, you have to consider that as some added incentive for him to show up and show out on a nightly basis. Zach has averaged 20+ PPG for 6 straight seasons and is a reliable scoring option. For a Lakers offense that’s known to stall out more frequently than we’d like (especially when LeBron is on the bench), LaVine could be the scoring punch the Lakers need to keep the offense rolling the full 48 minutes. Zach is supremely athletic and would greatly benefit from playing with an elite playmaker like LeBron James. LaVine gives the Lakers another lob dunk threat other than AD, and he’d quickly join LeBron as an elite finisher on the wing. To me, trading D-Lo is in many ways addition by subtraction for the Lakers. Not only has D’Angelo Russell‘s three-point percentage been declining in December, he’s also not shooting very well for the last few weeks, and it really shows. Plus, D-Lo is completely untrustworthy in the playoffs. I have no confidence that he will elevate his game or be helpful to the team when we need him the most in the postseason. Just look at D-Lo’s trash playoff numbers from last season and compare them to Austin Reaves. Sorry D-Lo, you gots to go. Trading Hachimura may not hurt the....

Lavine is a good NBA player, but giving up three for one is not a good trade. Levine is a shooting guard or small forward. He could not back up LeBron like a Rui. I would not mind letting DA, Vincent go because we already have Reaves, LeBron and Christie who can push the ball as a point guard or point forward. But Rui has to stay because right now LeBron is still playing good, but the season is young and it is a long season. Need a back up that is LeBron's size and Rui fits the power forward position perfect. It is going to be hard for LeBron to sustain playing at a high level as he gets older, and he is there.

Correct. It’s not that the Lakers couldn’t use Zach LaVine, is that Zach LaVine‘s contract is so humongous, the Lakers would have to give up a lot (probably too much) to get him. Then we are potentially looking at another situation almost like the Russell Westbrook debacle, where the Lakers traded away too many key role-players, and then didn’t have enough support for the superstars.

Personally, I hate to lose Hachimura because he’s proven that he can have big-time performances in the playoffs, and he’s one of the best backups the Lakers could hope to get for an aging LeBron James. He’s similar in size and stature to LeBron, plays hard defense, and is a skilled scorer. If the Lakers were to trade Hachimura, they would have to pray that Reddish and Vando stay completely healthy, and miss no more games, otherwise the Lakers basically have no significant wing depth at all.

That’s why I think the Lakers will stand pat until at least mid January and then we’ll see what’s what. If the team is struggling, and they still have glaring weaknesses, the Lakers can look at trading D’Angelo Russell and maybe a few other players to address those weaknesses. Until then, let’s see what happens once they get Gabe Vincent back and see if they can keep the other guys healthy through the month of December and on past the new year .

We can't and we shouldn't do this.