The Los Angeles Lakers are 20-16 this season, competitive enough to be in the top-six fight in the West but not competitive enough to be actual contenders. The franchise knows it needs to find ways to get better, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton on December 29 while still looking for additional deals on the market. With teams around them in the West also trying to make moves, the Lakers need to act fast.
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to reinforce the team's lacking center core. While the Lakers have Anthony Davis - the big man, and JJ Redick have both made it clear in past interviews that they need to add another center to play alongside him or be his replacement.
This might be the perfect time for the Lakers to hijack another Western Conference move.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Nikola Vucevic ($20.0 million)
Chicago Bulls Receive: Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Christian Wood ($3.0 million), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
This would be the second time this trade season the Lakers have sniped an East veteran from a West rival after stealing Dorian Finney-Smith from the Memphis Grizzlies. This deal finally gives the Lakers the seven-footer they've been wanting to cut their reliance on Anthony Davis down. This could allow Davis to finally move back to power forward or give the Lakers 48 minutes of exceptional center play.
Lakers Fill Their Biggest Need
Since the start of last season, the Lakers' biggest roster need has been at center. The signings of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood in the summer of 2023 were pointless, as Hayes has proven to not be good enough in the role while Wood is perenially hurt. They need to get a capable center into the rotation to cut the Lakers' over-dependence on Davis on both ends of the court.
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds on 42.4% shooting from three this season. He would help reduce Davis' load as a primary rebounder and paint presence, although Vucevic cannot replace Davis defensively. His presence allows the Lakers to have an offensive potent big man who can attack mismatches while providing bruising defensive play.
The Western Conference has some tall teams to go through. If Davis is single-handedly responsible for locking all of them down while being expected to be a 25+ points scorer, the Lakers have another early-Playoff exit on their hands.
Vucevic allows Davis to be more impactful as a free-roaming defender who isn't the only option in the post.
The Bulls Start To Move On
There's no way to justify what the Bulls are doing by accepting their fate as a perennial Eastern Conference Play-In franchise. They allow the teams below them to continue tanking for better picks while themselves being stuck in the middle without finding avenues of success.
They have a 17-20 record this season, good enough for No. 10 in the East. They'll likely be out of the running for a top-five pick within a month if this pace continues, and they need to start breaking it up ASAP.
Rui Hachimura is averaging 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds this season, with the Bulls adding the 26-year-old to their young forward core. He'd be easy to move on from as a winning asset next season, as Hachimura's contract will be expiring. The Bulls can consolidate more assets or keep Hachimura as a competent role player for the foreseeable future.
Christian Wood hasn't played a minute this season due to offseason knee surgery. The 29-year-old center can be a positive offensive spark plug on the right team, but he's spent his entire career looking for the right team and not finding it. The Bulls could give him a half-season opportunity to try and restore some value before entering free agency in the summer.
A Deal To Catch Others Off-Guard
Los Angeles Lakers: A
Chicago Bulls: B+
Many assumed that the Lakers acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith would kick off a chain of more role-player trades in the NBA. That hasn't happened in the 10 days since the DFS trade, which makes it the perfect time for the Lakers to strike. While teams are caught up in negotiations and waiting for players to become tradeable on certain dates, the Lakers could take another potential difference-making trade acquisition off the board.
Vucevic and Davis would form an imposing front-court partnership, whether they're on the floor together or if one is subbing in for the other. It gives the Lakers big-man solidity like they haven't had before, especially with the differing skill sets of Davis and Vucevic.
The Bulls can land some decent future assets to further extricate value from Vucevic, but their biggest prize would be getting worse enough this season to keep themselves in the range of a top-five Draft pick.
