Does the city of Los Angeles come with predetermined championship expectations? Or is it because of LeBron James? No matter the core reasoning, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to compete for an NBA Championship every season, regardless of the roster composition.
Adding Luka Dončić certainly ups the ante. The 26-year-old is a perennial MVP candidate whose resume will rival James' once it's all said and done. Yet, outside of 40-year-old James, Dončić, and Austin Reaves, the Lakers don't boast the most tantalizing roster.
Center remains a position of need for the Lakers
Sure, DeAndre Ayton was a marquee signing, being that he's a former first-overall pick with career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds. However, he has underwhelmed thus far in his career and isn't the vaunted rim protector the Lakers have sorely missed. Neither is he a capable shooter to help space the floor for Dončić and James.
Re-signing Jaxson Hayes alleviates some of the need for rim-rolling, shot-deterrent. The 7-foot big man averaged 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes a season ago. Nonetheless, he's best suited as a rotational big, seeing 15-to-20 minutes per contest. Therefore, the need for a floor spacing center remains pressing.
Los Angeles still has the $5.1 biannual exception in their arsenal to nab a free agent big. But after nearly a week of free agency, the pickings are slim. Al Horford, Chris Boucher, and Thomas Bryant are the remaining viable stretch-bigs. Horford is reportedly deciding between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, Boucher and Bryant have hardly been linked to any teams at all.
If Horford decides Golden State is his best bet to compete for another championship at 39 years old, the Lakers will head back to the drawing board. Instead of a free agent signing, a trade arguably would make more sense at this juncture. That's where Nikola Vučević and the Chicago Bulls factor in.
Desperation on both sides could lead to a Vučević trade
The Bulls have long desired to trade Vučević. The Bulls and Warriors previously appeared destined to agree on a deal. That is, before Chicago stood firm on its intentions to receive a first-round pick in exchange for the 34-year-old center. Months after the rumors emerged, the Warriors' interest has since waned. A lack of interest in the two-time All-Star has also sent the Bulls back to the proverbial drawing board.
Considering Vučević is only on the books for next season, a trade should be relatively straightforward. The only tricky part of a trade between the Bulls and Lakers is the number of players each team currently rosters. Chicago is full, at 15, assuming Giddey re-signs, while the Lakers are short, at 13. In order to acquire Vooch, who is set to be paid $21 million, Los Angeles will be required to send out multiple players.
Rui Hachimura's $18.2 million salary satisfies financial requirements, but it's assumed Vučević isn't worth a high-level rotation player, such as Hachimura. That brings us to the Lakers' lower-level rotational players. For instance, a trade including Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.5 million) and Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) for Vučević is financially satisfactory. Swap Maxi Kleber ($11 million) for either aforementioned player, and it still works.
Although Vincent and Vanderbilt (who still has three years left on his contract) are nowhere near the value of a first-round pick the Bulls once sought, the trade is sensible. Chicago allows the 14-year pro to pursue a championship, while not compromising future salary cap space in doing so. Vincent is off the books after next season, so is Kleber. However, the more valuable, versatile defender, Vanderbilt, still has three more seasons and roughly $37 million.
Adding another wing after drafting Noa Essengue and trading for Isaac Okoro isn't ideal, but Vanderbilt provides a much different dimension as a rugged defender and small-ball five.
After signing Ayton and re-signing Hayes, acquiring Vučević isn't exactly a necessity. He'd be more of a luxury to play pick-and-pop partner with Dončić and James. But as a team in desperation mode, rostering a soon-to-be 41-year-old LeBron, anything and everything should be on the table, including a worthwhile trade for an undervalued player who just averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a season ago.