Lakers Rumors: Longstanding Trade 'Whispers' Connect LA to All-Star

Would Los Angeles make a move this bold by February 6?

Mar 17, 2019; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) drives in against Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The 18-13 Los Angeles Lakers might know that they're not good enough to compete for a title this year as currently comprised. That doesn't mean the club is going sit still at the seasons's February 6 trade deadline, although it appears Lakers team vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka doesn't intend to either add long-term money or bring aboard a third All-Star to pair alongside All-NBA frontcourt standouts LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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A source informs The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley that one long-suggested potential All-Star trade target, Chicago Bulls swingman Zach LaVine, has been linked to Los Angeles (he attended UCLA for a one-and-done collegiate season in 2013-14) by "whispers." That source also notes, however, that the Lakers may not be able to supply adequate pieces for the Bulls to get back in a possible trade.

Cowley adds that little progress has been made in the Denver Nuggets' own rumored interest in trading for the two-time All-Star, who has enjoyed an impressive turnaround performance this year in Chicago.

Across 27 contests this year for the 14-18 Bulls, the 6-foot-5 scoring wing, 29, is averaging 22.3 points on .501/.451/.823 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 0.9 steals a night.

Chicago owes a top-10 protected draft pick to the San Antonio Spurs this season. As the Eastern Conference's No. 10 seed, the Bulls are once again looking like play-in fodder, for the third consecutive season. The team needs to have a bad enough record to fetch a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft if it has any hope of retaining its pick. Thus, ditching competent veterans like LaVine, fellow former two-time All-Star Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, and perhaps even ex-Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball to clear up their salary cap and reset their draft asset base would behoove the Bulls' front office brain trust of team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley.

LaVine, a talented three-level scorer, would serve as an intriguing floor-spacing fit next to stars like James, Davis, and starting point guard Austin Reaves. But because the Lakers are a first apron team, acquiring LaVine becomes almost prohibitively difficult with this new CBA. Beyond a Davis swap, Los Angeles would need to figure out an innovative way to offload multiple role players in a costly move for its depth.

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