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
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