NEWSLETTER
Finding the right Zach LaVine trade isn’t going to be easy.
The remaining three years of his deal worth nearly $43.0 million per season have left many franchises with a bad taste. While nobody can deny his scoring talent, the fact he’s appeared in only one playoff series over his ten years in the NBA makes that money hard to stomach.
Not to mention, his injury history sure isn’t helping his case. The trade market was already quiet before the two-time All-Star opted for a recent season-ending foot surgery. Not only did this mark the second season-ending surgery of his career (the first being a torn ACL in 2015-16), but it marked his second procedure in three seasons. LaVine underwent knee surgery following the 2021-22 campaign.
Nonetheless, LaVine and the Chicago Bulls seem committed to finding him a new home ASAP. The hope seems to be that either the harsh reality of a playoff series loss or the unpredictability of the NBA offseason can open a new door for the max player. So far the Philadelphia 76ers have been rumored as a potential destination, but LaVine sure feels pretty far down their list of targets.
The Los Angeles Lakers have also felt like a possible landing spot for quite some time. This conversation started again recently after LaVine was spotted with Klutch Sports at Bronny James’ pro day. He could be seen in a video greeting both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Considering how much buzz there was between these two sides earlier in the year, it was hard for the internet not to go crazy after this social media post. In fact, even The Athletic’s Jovan Buha addressed the situation in his latest mailbag, and he confirmed that LaVine entertained those Lakers rumors this past winter:
“Now, I did hear during the season that Zach was “intrigued” by the potential of being a Laker. And that was around the time the Zach to LA rumors started … Now, could those talks be re-visited this summer? I don’t know. I’d guess not. I think if you look at wha the Lakers need, he checks some of the boxes. But he is a step down from Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young tier. Maybe even a couple steps down,” Buha said.
Am I surprised that LaVine was “intrigued” by the idea of joining the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and potential DPOY candidate? Absolutely not, especially since LaVine is a West Coast kid. What I think is the far more important part is what Buha had to say about whether talks could pick back up. And, well, he doesn’t seem to believe so.
While LaVine’s perimeter shot creation could make a lot of sense next to James and AD, Buha makes clear he’s further down the Lakers’ star power list. Now, could this change as the offseason goes on? Sure. It’s always possible they strike out on their top options, leaving their fellow Klutch client looking very appetizing. We also can’t underestimate what a lower price tag could do for LaVine’s market. Perhaps the Lakers take the risk if they don’t have to give up much more than salary filler.
Nevertheless, Buha is as tapped into the Lakers as anyone, and he came off rather confident that LaVine isn’t on their shortlist this offseason. Considering all the former ties, that feels like rather significant news. And it also further underscores just how low LaVine’s stock has fallen.
