Trade Proposal Sends Bulls’ Zach LaVine To Lakers

One NBA analyst proposed that the Los Angeles Lakers acquire Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. 

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report proposed the following mock trade between the Lakers and Bulls:

The Trade: The Los Angeles Lakers acquire Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls for Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes

LaVine played in just 25 games in 2023-24. He underwent season-ending right foot surgery in February.

A two-time All-Star and a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, LaVine averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks in 2023-24 while shooting 45.2% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 85.4% from the free-throw line.

LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls in July 2022 during unrestricted free agency. The guard will make $43 million next season. 

A UCLA product, LaVine has career averages of 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bulls. He has a 216-364 record in the NBA. 

LaVine, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group. 

“LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still as good as it gets among NBA duos, and the Lakers can’t go into the 2024-25 season without taking a big swing at supporting them with more high-end talent,” Hughes wrote. “You’ll notice we didn’t say ‘high-end availability and a demonstrated capacity to drive winning.’ That’s because Zach LaVine, who’s been viewed as something pretty close to trade poison over the last year or so, doesn’t have those things. What he does have is elite scoring skill, as demonstrated by his pair of All-Star nods and 2022-23 average of 24.8 points on a 48.5/37.5/84.8 shooting split.

“Yes, LaVine played just 25 games a year ago due to surgery on his right foot. And yes, the three years and $138 million left on his contract are scary. But the Lakers aren’t giving up any draft equity here, and a healthy LaVine would give them a star-level scorer to bolster an offense that managed a ho-hum 115.5 points per 100 possessions whenever James was off the floor last season.”

The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in five games, while the Bulls missed the postseason for the second consecutive campaign.