The Los Angeles Lakers have been attracting a lot of attention even though they were ousted from the 2024 NBA playoffs in the first round. For one, they’re the Lakers.
That’s self-explanatory. Regardless of their shape or form, the Lakers will always be the talk of the town. With the NBA now in the offseason, people can expect to hear more about the Lakers, who are already being linked to a number of players in several trade rumors, including those that concern Chicago Bulls assets Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine.
Will a Los Angeles Lakers divisional rival land Zach LaVine or Alex Caruso (or both)?
However, a Lakers rival in the Pacific division in the Western Conference appears to be in the hunt of those two players as well, with Matt Moore of the Action Network mentioning the Sacramento Kings as a team that had at least tried to make a conversation with the Bulls in connection to those players.
“The Sacramento Kings are going back to the well with the same trade package they offered Toronto twice for OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. The offer includes Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and draft pick compensation. They’re known to have had calls with Chicago involving Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso.”
It won’t sit well for the Lakers and their fans if they see the Kings land at least one of those guys, especially LaVine, who is clearly a bigger star than Caruso. LaVine has a maximum of three years left on his current deal, including a player option worth $48.967 million in the 2026-27 campaign. Caruso, who used to be a Laker, has one more year left on the four-year, $37 million deal he signed with the Bulls during the summer of 2021.
The Lakers may be in play too for LaVine and Caruso, but they probably have to address their coaching situation first.
