LeBron James' Agent Opens Up About Zach LaVine-Lakers Rumors
The will they, won't they speculation involving the Los Angeles Lakers and All-Star guard Zach LaVine continues, with new reports coming out almost daily. The 6'5" shooting guard has been unhappy lately in Chicago, and there is a good chance that he will be moved before the trade deadline in February.
LaVine and the Lakers have been linked together for some time now, and the thought is that it's almost a foregone conclusion that he will end up in Los Angeles. However, his agent, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul, pushed back at the narrative that it's LA or bust for the guard, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“It’s not one team,” Paul said. “I don’t have a specific destination for Zach. I want what’s best for Zach and his family. When you have a guy playing the game, you want him to be able to play the game happy, whether that’s in Chicago or somewhere else.”
The Lakers make sense for LaVine, considering the club's need for an offensive boost. But the question remains if they have enough to land him, or if they are willing to break up their depth to make a trade happen.
"As Paul shared, he has clients on 24 of the 30 teams in the Association (including four on the current Lakers team). The point is that his agency didn’t grow to its current state by prioritizing one team over all others."
LA built strong depth across their roster this summer, but the reality is that they may not be good enough to win the title. Adding LaVine would boost their chances for this season, and give them a third-star in the process.
His scoring ability, along with his ball-handling skills would take some of the load off All-NBA forward LeBron James. This could tip the scales in the favor of LA making a move for LaVine this season, setting them up to a more level playing field around the league.
The Lakers have been searching for a third star since center Anthony Davis joined James on the team. LaVine could represent that need, but we have a long way to go until a trade actually gets finalized.
