Zach LaVine
Considered by many to be one of the most exciting players in the league, Zach LaVine has gone from strength to strength with the Chicago Bulls.
Coming into the NBA out of UCLA, LaVine was known as the uber-athletic dunker. When he arrived on the NBA scene he quickly showed that his dunking capabilities were well-founded.
LaVine won two NBA dunk contests and he was solidified as one of the best dunkers in the NBA.
Over the course of his career, LaVine has stepped out of the just a dunker reputation and has fully established himself as one of the best combo guards in the NBA.
While LaVine isn’t James Harden, he has shown that he is an extremely well-rounded scorer capable of torching teams at all levels.
The all-star was known as a streaky 3-point shooter coming into the league but has now firmly established himself as an excellent 3-point shooter with a 38.3% career 3-point average to go with his 42.1% from downtown this season.
Simply put, LaVine gets buckets. The Los Angeles Lakers most definitely need a player who can get buckets.
LaVine is potentially the ideal fit for purple and gold.
A player who is averaging 27.4 PPG this season who can create his own shot, be a marksman from the 3-point line, can assist at a very healthy number, and has proven that he doesn’t need superstar talent on the floor at all times for him to be effective.
Any trade for LaVine would have to include Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at a bare minimum, with other pieces being added to the package. The Lakers would potentially have to wait till the beginning of the next season to put together a package that would turn the Bulls’ heads.
If the Los Angeles Lakers can re-sign Talen Horton-Tucker and maybe Dennis Schröder, they could potentially use one of these players as a centerpiece of the deal.
The Chicago Bulls might not be keen on the above pieces and a 3rd team might be needed to get a deal done but the Bulls would be interested in maximizing the capital they could get for LaVine.
The Chicago Bulls aren’t one move away from being a contender, they are numerous moves away. If they can trade LaVine and get numerous pieces that get them closer then it makes sense for them to test the market.