Laying out the full trade for the Bulls and Lakers
The reluctance of the Lakers to trade both of their first-round picks is understandable, as they are essentially the last two bullets in the chamber for a Lakers team that has botched a number of trades since LeBron James has arrived. Yet they seem open to it for the first trade, and the talent of Zach LaVine could be enough to loosen the coffers.
Any deal sending LaVine to the Lakers has to include Russell Westbrook, but he is on an expiring deal and the Bulls probably wouldn’t mind his ability to get the team into its offense as it likely works to stay competitive even after moving LaVine. This trade is about the picks more than Westbrook.
The Los Angeles Lakers have an increasingly agitated LeBron James having an All-NBA season at the age of 38. They want to maximize his prime, and if Anthony Davis and LeBron are both healthy, pushing their chips in to go for it the next two seasons is their only real play. Trading for LaVine gives them an All-Star type of player under contract past this year, he seems to be a good fit with LeBron, and both Coby White and Derrick Jones Jr. can help provide depth as they try to push into the playoffs.