Lakers Rumors: Rob Pelinka Exercising Caution When It Comes To Possible Trades

Los Angeles Lakers team president and GM Rob Pelinka is allegedly taking his sweet time to determine the most tactical trade

ESPN's Zach Lowe writes in a new column that rival executives believe LA, which has been connected most frequently with two-time Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine, is moving carefully with regards to making a potentially disruptive trade.

“The Lakers want to see what they really have before wading into trade talks, league sources say,” Lowe explains. “The sense around the league is that the Lakers are wary of boosting their weak half (offense) at the expense of their defense (and their cap sheet) in any potential LaVine deals."

When it comes to LaVine, this makes plenty of sense. As Lowe mentions, LA boasts one of the best defenses in the NBA (they rank sixth in defensive rating as of this writing at 110.7, and 10th in opponent points allowed per game, at 112 per). LaVine is a three-level scorer, but would be especially helpful on the perimeter. Through 18 contests this year (LaVine is out with "inflammation" until mid-January around when, perhaps not coincidentally, most players signed in the offseason will become trade-eligible), he's averaging 21 points on .443/.336/.866 shooting splits, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assist per bout.

The 6'5" UCLA product is a career 38.2% shooter from long range on 5.8 tries. His career-worst conversion rate from distance this season can most likely be accredited to what seems to be a total disgust with Chicago's horrific team building. A divorce is imminent, after which LaVine's sharpshooting should return to its traditionally-good levels.

His defense, outside of a weirdly good Olympics run in 2021, is poor, and he tends to hog the ball a bit on offense. One would assume he'd get in line on a team with two sure-fire, first ballot Hall of Famers in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he is a great catch-and-shoot performer, but it's not a sure thing.

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