(Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently on an excellent run in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The 17-time NBA champions registered a sensational 133-89 win against the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals of the tournament.
Despite being in great form, the Lakers are constantly linked to Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.
However, the Lakers have no plans to rush a potential trade this season.
In fact, the Lakers are aware that trading for LaVine will result in the team losing some of its key defenders via Basketball on X on Twitter.
Lakers are “wary” of acquiring Zach LaVine to raise the ceiling for the offense because it would come at the expense of their defense and long-term salary cap.
[via @ZachLowe_NBA ] pic.twitter.com/T2dQi0cyaW
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) December 8, 2023
On top of losing their elite defense, the Purple and Gold will also have to make a lot of room on the salary cap to acquire LaVine.
After all, the Chicago Bulls star is currently on a five-year, $215 million contract that he signed with the organization last season.
If that isn’t enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to step away from a potential blockbuster trade for LaVine, maybe taking a look at his numbers in the 2023-24 NBA season will make them reconsider.
Zach LaVine has averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists over 18 games for the Bulls this season.
For a player who is making more than $40 million a year, these numbers are undoubtedly not good enough.
Keeping that in mind, it makes no sense for the Lakers to destroy their team chemistry to acquire an offense-heavy star who will be a liability on the defensive end of the floor.
As of now, the Los Angeles Lakers are the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 14-9 record.
The post Analyst Notes Lakers Are ‘Wary’ About Trading For Bulls Star appeared first on The Cold Wire.