Lakers News: Legendary Ex-Bull Assesses Trade Fit Of Chicago Star In LA

Your Los Angeles Lakers have looked incredible good in recent days. Clearly motivated to win the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas, LA romped through the competition, going 8-0 en route to capturing the first-ever NBA Cup on Saturday.

But there are a lot of possible trade targets still out there, including two-time Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine?

So should the Lakers make a move? Or should we wait to see what they look like now that they're finally gelling and mostly healthy?

One former Chicago Bull votes in favor: Jay Williams, ex-No. 2 lottery pick turned ESPN analyst.

In the latest edition of his Scoop B Radio Podcast, Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson chatted with Williams about a wide variety of topics, touching on several Lakers-centric items.

"You already know that Zach would fit on the Lakers roster!" Williams told Robinson. "I mean, LeBron knows that AD and AD knows that Zach is the Swiss Army knife that can open up things for them offensively because you can utilize him in the pick-and-roll with LeBron, you know? And he’s also good at playing off the ball for LeBron to have a dude like that with spacing… I think he’s the key."

Williams, a 6'2" point guard, was selected by Chicago out of Duke in 2002, making him six-time NBA champion team president Jerry Krause's final lottery pick. Following an encouraging rookie season in 2002-03, he suffered major, career-altering injuries during an infamous motorcycle accident. He never played in an NBA game again, but he did suit up for the then-Austin Toros (now the Austin Spurs, San Antonio's G League affiliate) of the then-D League.

Along with the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers are considered one of UCLA alum LaVine's preferred trade destinations. The sharpshooting 6'5" wing is allegedly struggling with "inflammation" in his right foot that should keep him on the shelf for Chicago until around mid-January.

January 15th also happens to be the date when virtually all players signed to new deals over the summer become tradable (it starts happening on December 15th, but Lakers like D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves don't become trade-eligible until that January mark).

Is it a coincidence that LaVine could be sitting out until Chicago will be able to trade him basically anywhere in the league?

I'm skeptical.

With Chicago on its first four-game win streak since the middle of the 2021-22 NBA season sans LaVine, and LaVine very passively aggressively dancing around his clear desire to be flipped, it may just suit both sides to keep him on the shelf until he's on a new team. The Lakers would make a lot of sense as a destination for a three-level scorer who would greatly boost their three-point output, but his contract and defense might give them pause.

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