Grade the trade: Lakers go all-in on third star with proposed deal
By Jason Reed
What a Lakers trade for Zach LaVine would look like:
Zach LaVine has one of the largest salaries in the sport but the Lakers have the salaries to package together to make it happen. D’Angelo Russell alone is not enough to make the money work but the team could package him with another re-signed player in order to fit it under the NBA’s trade bylaws.
Just Russell and Hachimura are enough for this trade to work financially but the Bulls would likely ask for a bit more. With the Lakers having limited picks to trade to Chicago, the team would almost certainly ask for Jalen Hood-Schfino. While he was just taken in the 2023 NBA Draft, JHS isn’t projected to have a huge role in his rookie season.
What would it take for both sides to get to a place where this could make sense? First, it would take Chicago having another mediocre season and realizing that contending isn’t a real option. Right now the team is convinced it could contend for a title. Come February, the team may realize that is not realistic and may want to get off LaVine before it gets too ugly.
The Lakers need a ting of struggle and pressure from the superstars on the roster. If things are smooth sailing for the Lake Show then the team will probably consider a smaller move with Russell. However, if the season gets off to an up-and-down start is could prompt LeBron James to flex his leverage and try to orchestrate a LaVine trade.
LaVine is a Klutch Sports client so the pipeline is already there between his agency and the Lakers. We see this kind of behind-the-scenes business happen all the time and it could also happen with LaVine.
But would it be a good trade for the Lakers? Let’s dive into the grades.