Lakers Rumors: NBA Executive Believes Zach LaVine Wants To Play For L.A.
Just a few months into his fresh $215 million deal, two-time Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman Zach LaVine may have his sights set on your Los Angeles Lakers, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
“LaVine wants to go to the Lakers, that has been pretty clear for a while now," a rival Eastern Conference executive informs Deveney. "The agents [from Klutch Sports, which also represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis] want him to be in Los Angeles, he is a UCLA guy and they did some rattling about his contract last offseason, to kind of lay the groundwork if things blew up. Which they seem to be doing.”
Prior to his maximum salary extension this summer, LaVine apparently was hoping to be a Laker outright, according to a Western Conference executive who spoke with Deveney on the subject.
All is not well in the Windy City. The Bulls sport an identical record to the Lakers, 13-18, and seem doomed to miss even the Eastern Conference's play-in tournament with ex-Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, their $20 million-per-season starter, still on the shelf following two knee surgeries this year. The presence of two All-Stars on Chicago's roster, in LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, doesn't seem to have particularly helped the Bulls win a whole lot, thanks in no small part to their total lack of defensive engagement.
LaVine, a UCLA alum, is also recovering from a knee surgery of his own, and has failed to consistently regain his form from last season thus far. This season, he is averaging 21.7 points on .447/.366/.824 shooting splits, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals a night, but lacks the same explosiveness around the rim that made him so special in 2021-22 pre-injury.
