{"id":58712,"date":"2023-11-16T17:29:17","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T22:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=58712"},"modified":"2023-11-16T17:29:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T22:29:17","slug":"nba-trade-rumors-lakers-interested-in-lavine-derozan-and-caruso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/16\/nba-trade-rumors-lakers-interested-in-lavine-derozan-and-caruso\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Interested in LaVine, DeRozan and Caruso"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days after <\/span>the reports of rivals anticipating the Chicago Bulls\u2019 downfall<\/span><\/a>, Shams Charania revealed that <\/span>Zach LaVine<\/b><\/a>\u00a0is <\/span>open to trades<\/span><\/a> from the organization. The Athletic\u2019s Jovan Buha has since noted that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring LaVine, <\/span>DeMar DeRozan<\/b><\/a> or <\/span>Alex Caruso<\/b><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The Lakers\u2019 interest in LaVine is real \u2014 at the right price. However, LaVine\u2019s potential availability also hints at the possibility of a fire sale in Chicago, with the organization seemingly looking to finally pivot away from its longstanding mediocrity. If additional Bulls players become available, the Lakers would also have interest in <\/span>DeMar DeRozan<\/span><\/a> and\/or former Laker <\/span>Alex Caruso<\/span><\/a>, according to multiple team sources.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Interested in LaVine, DeRozan and Caruso<\/h2>\n

Potential Fits on the Lakers<\/b><\/h3>\n

Zach LaVine<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Lakers have eyed LaVine for a while. Now, they have the chance to bring him home and join a winning organization. The UCLA alum is averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3 assists on .407\/.330\/.871 splits. He\u2019s a perimeter threat and improved defender who would greatly benefit LA\u2019s system\u2014not to mention his jaw-dropping athleticism. The fact that LaVine could seamlessly fit as a third scoring option is an added bonus for a team that tried\u2014and notoriously failed\u2014with a similar experiment for a year and a half.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, according to Buha, a major concern for LaVine\u2014aside from a recent injury history\u2014is his contract:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In addition to his $40.1 million salary for 2023-24, he\u2019s owed $138 million over the next three years (which includes a $49 million player option in 2026-27 he seems likely to exercise). Moreover, LaVine has a 15 percent trade kicker that he\u2019d almost certainly have to waive to make a trade to the Lakers feasible financially.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Still, it\u2019s clear the Lakers may be willing to try their hand at adding a third star again, and bringing in someone of LaVine\u2019s caliber is a great starting point.<\/span><\/p>\n

DeMar DeRozan<\/b><\/h4>\n

Another LA native, DeRozan would also fit well into a third-option role with the Lakers. The 34-year-old USC alum is averaging 21.2 points and 4.5 assists per game on 43% shooting from the field. DeRozan also had Lakers ties for the longest time\u2014<\/span>he thought he was going to LA<\/span><\/a> before signing with Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like LaVine, DeRozan\u2019s scoring and playmaking would significantly enhance the purple and gold\u2019s offense. He isn\u2019t much of a three-point threat, but DeRozan has burned nets with his mid-range jumper. He made 47% of his attempts last season, and has shot 34% from there this year. Defensively, he\u2019s averaging 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, maintaining his track record as a standout defender. One of DeRozan\u2019s caveats is his contract. With an expiring salary of $28 million, the Lakers\u2014and other teams\u2014would have to consider re-signing him this summer, according to The Athletic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Caruso<\/b><\/h3>\n

As <\/span>mentioned previously<\/span><\/a>, the Lakers had interest in a reunion with Caruso after their free agency blunder in 2021. Now, given the other two names mentioned, it makes sense why LA wants to redeem themselves while being in the running for Chicago\u2019s main stars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caruso would add tremendous depth to the rest of the Lakers\u2019 guard slots, and his first stint proved that he fits perfectly next to <\/span>LeBron James<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/b><\/a>. However, an area to keep in mind is what could happen with Austin Reaves, who\u2019s been viewed\u2014in some ways\u2014as AC\u2019s successor. Buha also wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lakers aren\u2019t interested in including Reaves in a potential LaVine deal despite his recent move to the bench, according to multiple team sources.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With Reaves seemingly <\/span>taking on a sixth man role as of late<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s conceivable that he could remain the top scoring option off the bench while Caruso orchestrates. They could also share the focus of the offense in staggered opportunities. Regardless, the possibility of having two dynamic guards off the bench is an exciting prospect for Lakers fans\u2014even if it means another adjustment for Reaves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Assets in a Lakers-Bulls Trade<\/b><\/h3>\n

As great as these three may seem for the Lakers, the real challenge comes with what to give Chicago. The team has very limited assets as it is, with the majority of their roster coming back on new deals. Players such as <\/span>D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Gabe Vincent<\/b><\/a> are not trade eligible until Dec. 15. Picks-wise, they\u2019re even worse, only able to trade one or two first-rounders beginning in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lakers may not be able to compete with other offers, and the Bulls may not be inclined to wait until December for a trade. Still, LA shouldn\u2019t be counted out completely. The Lakers could either move on from Russell, Hachimura and\/or Vincent to revive their dreams of a successful \u201cbig three,\u201d or trade Vincent and draft capital to reunite with Caruso.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Lakers\u2019 interest in LaVine, DeRozan and Caruso is both real and justified. However, a deal between the two won’t materialize until December. Still, all three of those players would do wonders for the Lakers while contributing to their championship pursuits. It\u2019s up to Rob Pelinka and co. to stick it out with the current 6-6 squad or make a big move to increase their chances in a tough Western Conference.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days after the reports of rivals anticipating the Chicago Bulls\u2019 downfall, Shams Charania revealed that Zach LaVine\u00a0is open to trades from the organization. The Athletic\u2019s Jovan Buha has since noted that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso: \u201cThe Lakers\u2019 interest in LaVine is real \u2014 at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":58714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,8,26,62,4721],"tags":[2037,240,350,38,4774,457],"class_list":["post-58712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bulls","category-lakers","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-alex-caruso","tag-anthony-davis","tag-demar-derozan","tag-lebron-james","tag-rumors","tag-zach-lavine"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}