Lakers Rumors: LA to Take 'Patient Approach' amid Zach LaVine, DeRozan, Caruso Buzz

Amid an inconsistent start to the season, the Los Angeles Lakers don't intend to make a panic move just to try shaking things up.

Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers plan to "take a patient approach to the trade market" despite being connected to Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls.

Even though LaVine is the biggest name in that group and someone the Lakers have interest in, Buha noted the Lakers "would prefer" either DeRozan or Caruso because they have more desirable contracts and their fit on the roster.

LaVine is signed through 2025-26 with a player option for 2026-27 and will making more than $40 million in each of those seasons. DeRozan is on an expiring deal with a $28.6 million salary. Caruso has a $3 million partial guarantee for next season that becomes fully guaranteed for $9.9 million if he's on a roster on June 30.

If the idea of the Lakers struggling amid a slow start and wanting to take a patient approach sounds familiar, it's the approach they used last season when things looked bleak.

They were 8-12 after 20 games to start the 2022-23 campaign, so this group is at least an improvement on that. General manager Rob Pelinka waited until Jan. 23 to make his first trade when he acquired Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards.

Just over two weeks later, the Lakers made deals to bring in Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell. They went 19-8 to finish the season, beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament for the No. 7 seed and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Pelinka still has first-round draft picks in 2029 or 2030 to offer in any deal if he wants to make a big move. His own recent history has shown he will be patient waiting to find the right deal.

If the Lakers are going to make a move, it will almost certainly be for a player who can improve their scoring output. They have the sixth-worst offensive rating in the NBA, rank last in three-pointers made (10.0) and attempted (32.9) per game. Their 33.8 percent success rate from behind the arc is the third-worst mark in the league.