Zach LaVine’s name remains at the center of the conversation regarding a potential Lakers and Bulls deal, whether Los Angeles wants that to be the case or not. While the latest trade rumors have been headlined by the team’s interest in DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso, the conversation always seems to come back to LaVine.
During a recent conversation between The Athletic’s Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha and Bulls beat writer Darnell Mayberry, the DeRozan/Caruso interest was reiterated. But Buha also offered a breakdown of what a potential offer from the Lakers could look like, pegging it as the “high end” of what the team would be willing to put on the table.
For LaVine specifically, I think the Lakers would consider a D’Angelo Russell-centric deal, but I don’t think they’d throw in much more than a combination of salary filler (Rui Hachimura and/or Gabe Vincent), a young prospect (Max Christie or Jalen Hood-Schifino) and a protected pick (2029 or 2030 first rounder). The Lakers would fight to keep Hachimura and Christie, to be clear. But I see that offer on the high end of what they’d be willing to give up.
The D’Angelo Russell aspect seems like a foregone conclusion, as his contract structure is close to ideal for a potential trade. As Buha pointed out, both Hachimura and Christie are two names that the Lakers appear to covet a bit more, and it’d be surprising if they were included in any preliminary offers.
Both Hachimura and Christie have flashed the potential to make a significant impact for this team down the line, and losing either player could prove to be noteworthy, especially with the latter, who’s only 20 years old. Time will tell, but as Mayberry stated early on in the conversation, “all signs” point to these two teams eventually finding common ground on a deal.
