Without trading any picks, the proposed Lakers trade would land a two-time all-star.

Without trading any picks, the proposed Lakers trade would land a two-time all-star.

This offseason, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley put up a scenario that may enable the Los Angeles Lakers team Anthony Davis and LeBron James with a third star. Zach LaVine is traded to the Lakers in a deal that doesn’t involve any picks thanks to Buckley’s idea.

Lakers acquire: LaVine

Bulls receive Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and D’Angelo Russell.
In his May 7 article examining trade ideas for every NBA lottery team if they win the No. 1 pick, Buckley wrote, “It might pain the Bulls’ brass to let go of LaVine and not get a draft pick in return, but if draft picks were available for the oft-injured and overpaid scorer, a deal surely would have been done by now.” Instead, Chicago might see a lottery win as sufficient compensation for the LaVine period, ending it quickly and allowing its next highly anticipated prospect to begin their career without the uncertainty that currently hangs over the Windy City.

“While this return isn’t great, it does include three rotation players that may be used, all of whom have better contracts than LaVine. Each of them would be lot easier to deal than LaVine is right now, even if the Bulls don’t intend to keep all of them. And any one of the three might contribute to providing resources for a long-overdue rebuild if they ultimately decide to blow apart this squad.

“In Support” of Trading Zach LaVine for LeBron James
Prior to the deadline, James was “in support” of LaVine, a Klutch Sports client represented by Rich Paul, because he desired a “ballhandling sidekick,” according to Sam Amick, Anthony Slater, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“James has long wanted a star ballhandling sidekick, dating back to the Lakers’ failed bid for Damian Lillard in the summer of 2021 and their subsequent deal for Russell Westbrook,” Amick, Slater, and Buha wrote on February

“Since then, James urged the Lakers to acquire former running mate Kyrie Irving in the summer of 2022, at the 2023 trade deadline and again in the summer of 2023, according to team and league sources. James was also in support of the Lakers trading for Dejounte Murray or Zach LaVine — two Klutch Sports clients — in the weeks and months leading into the 2024 trade deadline, according to those sources”.

The Chicago Bulls confirmed on February 3 that LaVine had undergone season-ending foot surgery, rendering him ineligible for the trade deadline on February 8.

James’ backing of the LaVine acquisition, though, is significant because it may happen again this offseason if the Lakers are interested in him following his surgery.

The purpose of matching LaVine with James and Davis is to relieve pressure on their two current stars. LaVine, who turned 29 this past weekend, has averaged more than 24.4 points in each of the seasons since 2018–19 when he has participated in more than 25 games.

LaVine, an All-Star for two seasons, is a prolific scorer who has taken at least 17.7 shots per game during that time. In that time, he has also attempted at least 7.1 three-pointers per game and has shot at least 37.5% in each season.

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