The Los Angeles Lakers (4-5) had a contentious roster before they ever entered the court in their eventual 122-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns. To bolster the roster, it appeared like they could need to make another deal, and one analyst offered a recommendation.
On November 10, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon questioned, “Is there a bad team you want to go and say, ‘Okay, they’re not in contention; they’ve got a potential third guy for the Lakers who will work in that complementary role, who’s not going to challenge LeBron, who’s going to be thrilled to be there with LeBron?” “Because Zach LaVine is a guy I got.
LaVine, 28, is averaging 25.4 points per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc over his last seven games.
He is also a two-time former All-Star.
“I’m not mad at this,” host Chiney Ogwumikey said. “He can knock down a three, he can push the rock, he’s complementary, he’s enough of a star to really play along with LeBron. … That is a championship team
“You’re not doing any good on the Bulls,” Wilbon asserted. “What are they doing?”
“He’s got a contract that is a little bit prohibitive,” Windhorst said about LaVine, who is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract. “The Bulls wouldn’t say this. The Bulls right now would say, ‘No, we’re going to keep Zach.’ But the cost for him on the market might not be outrageous because you’d have to take on that contract too.”
LaVine has repeatedly stated his commitment to the organization and his love for the city. But the persistent trade rumors have not gone unnoticed by LaVine, a West Coast native who lives and trains in Los Angeles during the offseason.
“It’s always rumors. But I always heard where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” LaVine said via NBC Sports Bay Area on August 5. “And, every once in a while, you see a little too much smoke.”
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