Lakers Rumors: Zach LaVine Trade 'Not Happening'; LAL Targeting PG at NBA Deadline
It appears Zach LaVine's chances of ending up with the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline are slim to none.
"I'm told that's not happening," ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported of a potential LaVine to Los Angeles deal Wednesday on SportsCenter (1:59 mark). "Laker fans if you're thinking about the UCLA Bruin coming back to Los Angeles to help this team, don't count on it.
"You're looking at the Lakers surveying the market for point guard help and one guy you can look at is certainly Tyus Jones with the Washington Wizards. ... Another guy you look to is Collin Sexton."
LaVine is among the hottest trade candidates this winter as the Chicago Bulls have been exploring trade options for the veteran shooting guard over the last several months.
The Lakers have been linked to LaVine since The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported in November that the Purple and Gold were among the teams to have a "level of interest" in him.
Trade rumors involving the Lakers began to heat up when an Eastern Conference executive told Heavy.com's Sean Deveney in December that LaVine wanted to be traded to the franchise this winter:
"LaVine wants to go to the Lakers, that has been pretty clear for a while now. The agents [from Klutch Sports] want him to be in Los Angeles, he is a UCLA guy and they did some rattling about his contract last offseason, to kind of lay the groundwork if things blew up. Which they seem to be doing."
The Lakers' reported interest in LaVine wasn't necessarily surprising as they look to add more scoring and playmaking ahead of the deadline amid a disappointing 2023-24 season that has them 10th in the Western Conference with a 20-21 record.
However, L.A.'s interest in LaVine has been questioned since Deveney's report, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported this week on his Hoop Collective podcast (h/t Nick Raguz of Sports Illustrated) that he believes there's a "zero percent chance" the Lakers trade for the UCLA product.
LaVine could be a solid addition for the Lakers—he's averaging 20.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 24 games while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from deep—but there's not much of a reason for the franchise to take a chance on him.
The 28-year-old is often injured, and his hefty contract makes him not as desirable. He has three years remaining on his five-year, $215 million max extension with a nearly $49 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
It's no surprise the Lakers are looking to acquire a point guard instead. D'Angelo Russell is having a down year by his standards, averaging 15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 37 games, and the franchise doesn't have much depth beyond him as Skylar Mays is the next man up.
Time is ticking as the trade deadline nears, and it's going to be interesting to see how the Lakers upgrade their roster in pursuit of a playoff berth.
