The Los Angeles Lakers addressed one of their biggest needs. They added more size and athleticism to the frontcourt by adding Rui Hachimura, and hope is back now that Anthony Davis has returned from his injury.
Darvin Ham's team is still pretty much in the mix for a playoff spot, even if it's via the play-in tournament. Despite being way below in the standings, the Western Conference has been wild, and most teams have similar records.
With that in mind, Lakers' GM Rob Pelinka recently revealed that the team is actively looking to get better, meaning they won't hesitate to pull the trigger and make a couple more moves if possible.
NBA News: Rob Pelinka Says Lakers Aren't Done Making Moves
"One of the needs we wanted to address with the roster was adding size and depth to the wing position," Pelinka said. "Of course, this is the time of the year where we are canvassing the league on ways to get better."
"With me, that's talking to all 29 teams and their GMs and keeping the cadence and checking in every few days," he added. "That's something all the teams have been doing this time of year... (Trading for Rui) was an opportunity for us to strike early and address a need in a market that's proven to be a little slow. This doesn't mean our work is finished; we're going to continue monitoring the situation with the 29 other teams."
Lakers Could Get Zach LaVine In Russell Westbrook-Centered Trade
With that in mind, NBA insider Zach Lowe recently discussed a potential trade to swap Zach LaVine and Russell Westbrook, stating the Bulls would gladly accept the Lakers' two future first-round picks:
"Lakers get: Zach Lavine
Bulls get: Russell Westbrook, two 1st round draft picks (“one unprotected and the second one has the most limited possible protections that’s allowable under NBA rules”)"
The Lakers would get another foundational piece for the post-LeBron James era, while the Bulls would get salary off their books and recoup two first-round pieces after giving plenty of those away in the Nikola Vucevic trade.
Pelinka and the Lakers would only consider moving those valuable first-round picks in the case an All-Star became available, so adding the UCLA product would put them to very good use, that's for sure.
