Lakers Should Not Move on Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan Amid NBA Trade Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be linked with the Chicago Bulls in trade discussions for star players such as Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported, "The Lakers' interest in LaVine is real — at the right price. However, LaVine's 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 DeMar DeRozan and/or former Laker Alex Caruso, according to multiple team sources."

It is understandable that team officials would be intrigued by the possibility of adding star players to the mix in pursuit of an 18th NBA title, especially given the so-so start to the 2023-24 season.

After making many moves this offseason, including re-signing key contributors to last year's campaign and bringing in-depth behind the expected starters, the Western Conference runners-up have started an uninspiring 6-6.

With that said, however, there are factors and extenuating circumstances surrounding that .500 start.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and All-Star Anthony Davis have all missed time with injuries. The team that Rob Pelinka and the front office put together has yet to play together and build anything close to on-court chemistry, meaning no one really knows what this Lakers team will look like at full strength.

LeBron James has been, as has D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, but the team has faced considerable depth issues with key players missing periods of time.

Blowing it up to bring in a LaVine or DeRozan would only prolong the discovery of said chemistry and potentially put the Lakers further back in the conference.

It would also require trade compensation, of which the team does not have much of at this point. Buha wrote, "The only players they can include in a trade at this very moment are James, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis and their three two-way contract players (Colin Castleton, Alex Fudge and D'Moi Hodge)."

As a result, the team would have to wait for Russell, Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes to become trade-eligible on December 15. From there, Reaves and Hachimura on January 15 and, finally, Davis on February 6.

Waiting until December 15 only prolongs rumor and innuendo, creating a negative presence around the team. Besides, by that point, there is no telling what this Los Angeles team may look like. If the pieces get enough time on the floor together, they could build momentum and be heading in the right direction by then, with no real need for a blockbuster, in-season transaction.

Furthermore, does Los Angeles want to sacrifice key components of the depth it built up in the offseason to bring in one or two guys who may or may not help solve the issues they have faced this offseason?

LaVine, the most prominent of the names linked to the Lakers, is fine on the perimeter, but he is a liability defensively, and that is the last thing this Los Angeles squad needs on a roster that has more than one or two of them.

Add to that the fact that he is due $43 million next season and the Lakers have, roughly, $5 million available and you get what would amount to an in-season restructuring of the entire team, with the hope that LaVine could come in and magically help guide the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

Despite having never even come close in Chicago.

DeRozan has been linked to the Lakers before, dating back to just before the 2021 season when he believed it was a done deal that he was heading to Los Angeles. That did not happen and while there is a history between the two sides, the buzz for his potential arrival has not been quite as loud as his Bulls teammate.

He would be more affordable and is on an expiring contract, but it would be the same situation: is this one player going to make enough of a difference to blow up the team in the middle of the season in the hope that he gets them where they want to go?

The answer should be a resounding "no."

Let the team get healthy. See what you actually have before being quick to label the season a disaster, and play ball. We saw what Reaves could do late last year and into the playoffs. We know Hachimura showed flashes. Reddish and Wood have had opportunities to play early this season that could benefit the team down the stretch.

Allow some time for everyone to get on the floor together and develop the chemistry that is important to any championship-quality team.

Otherwise, a big move could be construed as panicking and the last thing Lakers officials want to do is convey to the masses that they have lost faith in the team.