After their failed acquisition of Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 free agency period, rumors have been circulating that the Los Angeles Lakers are in search of a third superstar who could help LeBron James and Anthony Davis carry the team back to the Finals and win another championship. In the past months, the Lakers have already been linked to several big names who are expected to be available on the market before the February trade deadline, including Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls.
According to Jonathan Kiernan of Fansided ‘s Lake Show Life , the Lakers could acquire LaVine by sending a trade package including Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and Talen Horton-Tucker to Chicago. The proposed deal works on ESPN ‘s NBA Trade Machine. Some people may think it’s still too early to call LaVine a legitimate NBA superstar. However, compared to Kuzma, who failed to live up to expectations as the Lakers’ third option on offense, the Bulls guard is undeniably closer to reaching that status.
“LaVine is unquestionably one of the best athletes in the NBA and his dunking ability is legendary but his game is so much more than that,” Kiernan wrote. “Capable of scoring 20 points a night with ease, LaVine has a silky smooth jump shot and handles that gives teams trouble every night. He can catch fire and torch teams when he needs to which would be an extremely important trait to have for the purple and gold. He also has an underrated passing game that could solve the Lakers secondary playmaker problems.”
LaVine could potentially be a great addition to the Lakers, giving them a huge threat from beyond the arc and a very reliable scoring option next to James and Davis. This season, the 24-year-old shooting guard is averaging 25.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, four assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point range. If he immediately builds chemistry with James and Davis, Los Angeles could have a better chance of dominating the deep Western Conference and ending their title drought this season.
Meanwhile, though it would likely weaken them in the Eastern Conference, the hypothetical deal would allow the Bulls to acquire a young forward with huge superstar potential in Kuzma and a promising prospect in Horton-Tucker — both of whom could both be part of their long-term future. Green could be a great mentor to Chicago’s young core and would provide a veteran presence in their locker room. However, if Chicago doesn’t see him a good fit with their timeline, they could simply make a separate deal to swap him for more future draft assets before the trade deadline.