The Los Angeles Lakers may not end up making a trade for a while, but it looks like they’re doing their due diligence.
It is generally agreed that even though they’ve won eight of their last 10 games and have played rather well offensively during that span, they still need better 3-point shooting and frontcourt depth to become a true contender.
The Chicago Bulls, who had the best record in the Eastern Conference for a sizable stretch last season, are struggling with a 9-14 record, which may open up the possibility of a significant trade for them.
According to Zach Lowe, the Lakers have had internal discussions about trading for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
“I can tell you 100% for sure the Lakers have had internal discussions about that very possibility if it were to ever come out. Not that they would do it. Let me be clear. Just like, you look around the league like any responsible team would and say ‘Ok, we know the Pacers option is there. The Utah option was there. The Spurs option doesn’t excite us very much.’ in terms of where we can dump Russ and one pick, two picks, no picks, whatever…But both picks for the Bulls guys is certainly something their brain trust has thought about.”
DeRozan, of course, is someone L.A. was interested in during the summer of 2021. In fact, reports claimed the team was close to pulling the trigger on him only to pivot and trade for Russell Westbrook instead.
Vucevic would be an interesting addition. He could man the center spot and allow Anthony Davis to play more power forward. Vucevic is a capable scorer, but his 3-point shooting has been inconsistent, and he is not a great shot-blocker or defender.
Ultimately, such a trade proposal may not move the needle enough, as neither player may be the right fit around Davis and LeBron James.
