Lakers GM Rob Pelinka could solve some problems with a Zach LaVine trade.
The Lakers were not interested in adding another max-salary player—specifically, Zach LaVine of the Bulls—at the NBA trade deadline, and here in the depths of the league’s summer, they’re still not interested. LaVine gets hurt, a lot. He also gets paid, a lot. Those two factors have rendered him unwanted in Chicago, and elsewhere.
LaVine is entering the third year of a five-year, $215 million contract, a deal the Bulls were reluctant to sign and are now eager to dump. LaVine had surgery on his right foot after playing just 25 games last year, averaging 19.5 points. He’s expected to be ready for the start of next season, but where he’ll be when the season starts is subject to question.
There are plenty of reasons for the Lakers to stay away from LaVine—he is a ball-dominant scorer and does not defend well—but if the Bulls get desperate enough, there could be some reasons for the Lakers to reconsider.
Namely, draft picks and roster spots. Because though LaVine would have to change his game if he came to L.A., making a trade for him could help solve three Lakers problems in one fell swoop: They could send out a raft of players, creating roster spots; they could send out a surplus of salary, creating some wiggle room to use exceptions; they could add draft capital, for which the organization is starved.
Zach LaVine Contract Difficult to Trade
That’s the view from one NBA executive who spoke of the Lakers’ tough situation. They have 15 full roster spots, so they can’t sign anyone new. And because of their proximity to the NBA’s so-called “second apron,” they could not use any exceptions to sign players, anyway.
They could use second-round picks to unload salary, but this is an organization that has already traded away two first-round picks and three second-round picks in the next five years.
The Bulls, thus far, have not agreed to attach picks to a LaVine dump, but that could change. If it does, the Lakers could benefit.
“Well, the situation they’re in, the best way to get out of it, to maybe get some roster spots back, free up some money, and maybe even add picks, that could come down to trading for Zach LaVine,” the exec said. “No one wants that contract, the Bulls have been trying to trade him since they signed him, basically. If they get to a point where they want him off the books, and that might come later this summer, they might have to attach a pick or a couple of second-rounders to him to get a team to take his deal.”
Lakers Could Unload 5 Players in a Mega-Deal
But one problem the Lakers would have is matching up salaries with the Bulls for LaVine. D’Angelo Russell would have to be part of the package, and the Lakers could unload Cam Reddish and Christian Wood. The problem then would be that the Lakers would have to sacrifice depth to make the rest of the deal work.
They’d have to include two of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and/or Austin Reaves.
That would sting, but a 5-for-1 trade would give the Lakers four roster spots. They’d have money to give a deal to, say, Gary Trent, and could bring back Spencer Dinwiddie. They could then sign another big guy, and leave one spot open.
After that, they just cross their fingers and hope that LaVine comes back healthy and determined to rebuild his NBA reputation.
“If you’re a team like the Lakers, you can add him, you can hope he fits in with what you’re doing with LeBron (James) and Anthony Davis, you hope there is a fit on the floor,” the exec said. “But off the floor, you can package, four, five guys in a deal for LaVine and now you’ve got roster spots, you can maybe create space under the (second apron) you can use your taxpayer midlevel. And you’re adding some picks. I mean, it’s a godsend.
“Now, look, the media and fans they are all over LaVine, but in the league, I think we still respect what he can do as a scorer. It’s just health and the contract with him.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney.
