The unfortunate reality of the once-promising Zach LaVine to the Lakers trade

Zach LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers. It's a trade that's been discussed for the better part of a calendar year, with rumors implying that it could transpire and speculation seemingly ignoring all that's changed in the time since it was first mentioned as a possibility.

It remains as compelling an exercise in trade debating as any, but there's an unfortunate reality facing the LaVine to the Lakers narrative: No one knows who LaVine will be next season.

There was a time when LaVine joining the Lakers was the type of move that could've elevated the franchise to championship heights. A Big Three of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and LaVine would've checked every box, with three dynamic players whose skill sets complemented one another to perfection.

Entering the 2024-25 regular season, however, the Lakers simply can't justify trading for LaVine—not at this point in time, at least.

Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported on November 14, 2023 that the Bulls were open to trading LaVine. They named the Lakers as team that could be interested in acquiring the two-time All-Star.

Unfortunately, LaVine's injury woes became an unavoidable factor just 16 days later, ultimately forcing him to miss 57 games—and to no longer qualify as an ideal Lakers trade target.

Zach LaVine is no longer the slam-dunk trade target he was pre-injury

At his best, LaVine is a unique shooting guard who combines elite accuracy as a shooter with unrivaled explosiveness as an athlete. It's the combination of traits that teams dream of finding in a perimeter player, but are rarely able to.

Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, LaVine channeled those strengths to average 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 three-point field goals made on .479/.390/.839 shooting.

Unfortunately, LaVine is coming off of a significant injury at 29 years of age, and has three seasons and $137,998,980 remaining on his contract. Even if the Bulls were willing to dump LaVine's salary for a minimal return, the Lakers still would need to part with essential players based on the finances alone.

That'd likely cost Los Angeles some combination of Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent—and replacements would be at least a year out.

In a normal situation, the justification would be that Los Angeles would have built a Big Three and could worry about filling out the roster the following offseason. That luxury simply doesn't exist with a 39-year-old franchise player.

LeBron James has defied Father Time at every turn, but even he will ultimately face the harsh realities of human biology—and the Lakers must factor that reality into any potential trade.

Perhaps it would all be worth it in the end, as the trio of Davis, James, and LaVine would be talented enough to lead Los Angeles to a championship. The alternative is a disastrous result, however, which factors in James inching closer to retirement and the injury history of the new core.

Any trade will carry a degree of risk, but as the Lakers search for options on the trade front, carrying three contracts that exceed $40 million per season is too perilous to justify given the supporting concerns.