The Los Angeles Lakers‘ offseason has been quiet. But with Anthony Davis and LeBron James on the roster, there’s always a chance they could shake things up in pursuit of a championship run.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report suggests they do just that. In an August 14 column, he pitched a trade that would land Zach LaVine on the Lakers in exchange for four members of the Los Angeles core.
Chicago Bulls receive: Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt,Jaxson Hayes
Hughes argued that LaVine’s scoring prowess could help erase the woes of non-LeBron minutes for the Lakers.
“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,” Hughes wrote.
LaVine is a star-level scorer, yes. But he’s expensive — under contract through 2027 at over $40 million annually — and coming off of a season-ending foot injury.
Hughes acknowledged the risk in the deal, but argued the preservation of draft assets makes it a worthwhile wager.
“Meanwhile, the Lakers take a justifiable risk by adding one of the higher-ceiling pieces available, setting up their two superstars for a better shot at contention—all without burning draft assets they can use to swing another deal down the line,” Hughes continued.
LaVine is a star-level scorer, yes. But he’s expensive — under contract through 2027 at over $40 million annually — and coming off of a season-ending foot injury.
Hughes acknowledged the risk in the deal, but argued the preservation of draft assets makes it a worthwhile wager.
“Meanwhile, the Lakers take a justifiable risk by adding one of the higher-ceiling pieces available, setting up their two superstars for a better shot at contention—all without burning draft assets they can use to swing another deal down the line,” Hughes continued.
