UCLA Basketball: How Lakers View Possible Trade For Bruin-Turned-All-Star Zach LaVine

One-and-done UCLA Bruin-turned Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine has been on the trade block for months now.

A Southern California return has been frequently cited as a potential landing spot. More specifically the Los Angeles Lakers have been frequently floated as a fit for the three-level scorer.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Purple and Gold are a bit more smitten with another All-Star Eastern Conference guard, the far cheaper Dejounte Murray, currently with the Atlanta Hawks.

Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the likeliness of a LaVine trade has been significantly diluted by his exorbitant maximum-salaried contract, considered too rich for a one-way star.

Furthermore, during a recent pregame report, McMenamin expressly stated a LaVine deal was off the table:

Pregame @SportsCenter hit with @KevinNegandhi on the Lakers’ current starting lineup iterations. Plus a couple of names they could target in trades - and another name that they likely won’t pic.twitter.com/fL8yyRMP6X
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 18, 2024

"I'm told that's not happening," McMenamin said plainly. "Laker fans, if you're thinking about the UCLA Bruin coming back to Los Angeles to help this team, don't count on it. You're looking at the Lakers surveying the market for point guard help [instead]."

LaVine has missed 20 games and counting for the 21-24 Bulls, currently the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. His latest ailment, a sprained ankle, is set to keep him on the shelf for at least the next week.

When healthy, he's been productive on offense for Chicago. The 6'5" swingman is averaging 19.5 points on .452/.349/.854 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.8 steals a night.