Lakers' Tournament Success Proof Zach LaVine Trade Isn't Needed Amid NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers are unbeaten in the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament and Thursday night, sent an emphatic message to the rest of the league with a 44-point dismantling of the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals.

They will meet the red-hot Indiana Pacers in the finals Saturday, with a chance to finish the tournament with an unblemished record and, potentially, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

Despite the success experienced by a team that is healthier than it has been all season and definitely playing its best ball, talks of a blockbuster trade continue.

Shams Charania of The Athletic, in an appearance on FanDuel's Run It Back, again linked the Lakers to the Chicago Bulls and forward Zach LaVine.

While discussing LaVine's current injury, he reported, "Ironically, this takes the Bulls and Zach LaVine right up to that … January 15 date when all the free agents will be eligible to be traded from last summer. So when you think about teams like the Lakers – D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura – those two guys will both be trade eligible come January 15th."

LaVine carries a 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, and the Lakers could use more of that as they pursue a return trip to the Western Conference Finals and beyond. The aforementioned Russell, though, is outperforming LaVine in terms of three-point shooting this season.

Quite significantly, too, banking 40.5 of his shots from downtown to LaVine's 33.6.

Russell is scoring 4.4 points less per game than the Bulls forward but is also nearly doubling LaVine's assist numbers (6.3 to 3.4), showing off his ability to dish the ball and set up scoring opportunities for teammates.

Not only has LaVine not been incrementally better than "DLo" in 2023 but in 14 games, Hachimura has accumulated the same percentage as Russell from beyond the arc (40.5) and is shooting 50 percent from the paint.

Both competitors would likely be in play should the Lakers deal for LaVine, if for no other reason than salary matching. LaVine is in the middle of a five-year deal that pays him north of $40 million this year, then balloons to $43 million next season and continues upward until 2026-27 and a player option, per Spotrac.

Even considering the idea of giving up Hachimura and Russell to trade for LaVine makes less sense when taking into consideration that the Lakers are playing their best ball of the season right now without him and that defensively, LaVine is often a liability, even if he has improved over the years.

The player LaVine is in 2023 is not exponentially better than what the Lakers currently have in place, even if he would provide the team with a third scoring option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Throw in an abundant injury history this year alone, including missed time due to hand, back, and foot issues, and you have another reason to be concerned about the prospect of getting rid of players currently benefiting the team in favor of someone whose contributions are a mystery.

He, nor his immense contract, is worth potentially blowing up a team on the precipice of winning the In-Season Tournament in a relatively dominant fashion.

Is LaVine a great pickup for a contending team? Sure.

These Lakers? No.