Sports
Lakers' Interest in Zach LaVine Shouldn't Deter Kings, Spurs amid NBA Trade Rumors – Bleacher Report
Quite a few teams are emerging as potential suitors for Zach LaVine, as it appears possible the Chicago Bulls will deal the 28-year-old guard. They have plenty of time to weigh offers, considering the NBA trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 8.
One team that’s generating a lot of hype as a possible landing spot for LaVine? The Los Angeles Lakers.
And for good reason. It could be fun to see LaVine join up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, helping the Lakers become even more of a championship contender for the 2023-24 season.
However, LaVine shouldn’t be penciled into Los Angeles’ starting five yet. It’s not even known how much the Lakers may pursue that type of trade with the Bulls, as veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein recently shared their interest is “best described (at most) as TBD.”
So maybe Los Angeles pushes to trade for LaVine, or maybe it won’t. Either way, it shouldn’t deter some of the other teams that could be in the mix, a group that may include both the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Kings are planning to have an aggressive strategy for the trade deadline.
“They’re going to be involved in every star player,” Charania said on FanDuel’s Run It Back on Monday. “Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, maybe Zach LaVine.”
LaVine could be a great fit with Sacramento, which has emerged as a top competitor in the Western Conference early in the season. The Kings would have one of the top backcourts in the league by pairing LaVine with point guard De’Aaron Fox, turning them into more of a playoff threat.
Perhaps that’s why LaVine wouldn’t mind a trade to Sacramento, per a recent report by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. LaVine and his agent have “several preferred landing spots,” such as the Lakers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, but he would also be open to joining the Kings.
The Spurs are also a team that LaVine “has an eye on,” per Fischer, who reported the Bulls’ guard would like to join star rookie Victor Wembanyama and legendary head coach Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
LaVine has some history with Popovich, as they both helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. So Popovich could potentially put LaVine in a great position to have success with the Spurs.
Not only that, but San Antonio has a bright long-term future as it builds around Wembanyama. It could be a good destination for LaVine, who would become one of the franchise’s centerpiece players.
Sure, Los Angeles may be the flashiest landing spot for LaVine. But he could be better suited for Sacramento (another top West team) or San Antonio (team on the rise), where he could likely have the ball in his hands more often than if he joined a crowded Lakers lineup.
So the Kings and Spurs should stay in the mix and ramp up their pursuit as the trade deadline nears. LaVine would then provide a boost to either team for the second half of the 2023-24 campaign and possibly longer.