Laker News: LA Big Man Interested In Playing For Midwest Team
One of the very many decisions that your Los Angeles Lakers need to make this offseason is on center Mo Bamba and his $10.3 million contract for next season. The team has until June 29 to decide what to do with him. They can fully guarantee his salary and keep him. They can guarantee his deal and then look to trade him. Or they can decline it all together. If they are smart, the Lakers would find a way to get something out of Bamba, especially since they traded some draft capital to acquire him at the trade deadline.
During his time with LA, he hardly played due to injuries. The Lakers never really got to see what exactly he could do for them so it wouldn't be surprising for them to try and move on. Bamba hasn't lived up the hype that he had when he came into the league in 2018 from the University of Texas. But rumors are swirling and Chicago Bulls insider Joe Cowley said that the Lakers big-man has interest in possibly playing for Chicago.
If this report is true, it likely means that the Lakers are shopping the center. But the Bulls do make some sense for Bamba and it would open a boatload of potential opportunities for the Lakers. The best course of action for LA would be to guarantee his $10 million contract and ship him to Chicago.
The Bulls could send the Lakers a nice rotation piece such as guard Alex Caruso or even a bigger deal centered around DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine. Chicago has bene rumored to be looking at all options and Bamba could make sense for them as a young, defensive center with room to grow.
Now, LaVine or DeRozan wouldn't be traded for just Bamba as the Lakers would need to include more but that is where the fun begins. Caruso does make sense because the Lakers have a need at point guard and the veteran guard knows what it means to be a Laker. Caruso was a fan favorite during his time with LA and a return to the team could be in the cards. Bamba and Caruso make around the same amount so the Lakers could send a second round pick in the deal to sweeten it.
However, Chicago may want to hold onto Caruso due to his defensive abilities, But his value is likely at the highest it will ever be so the Bulls could also look to move him before it's too late. They also have the Lonzo Ball issue so keeping Caruso could make sense for them to make sure that they have a point guard to run the show.
Like always, it's rumor season but this is one to possibly pay attention too. The Lakers and Bulls could be a good match to make a deal and it'll be fun to watch play out.
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