Before the end of the nba trade deadline, the los angeles lakers were reportedly supporting a potential trade for several key players, but a deal was not reached. In the lead-up to the trade deadline, james supported the lakers’ pursuit of either dejounte murray or zach lavine, both of whom are represented by klutch sports, according to the athletic. According to those sources, james was also in favor of the lakers trading for dejounte murray or zach lavine, two klutch sports clients, in the weeks and months leading up to the 2024 trade deadline.
James, who has a large presence in the lakers’ organization, was instrumental in the acquisition of russell westbrook in 2022 and has pushed for his reunion with kyrie irving. According to nbc sports chicago, the chicago bulls had been looking at trade opportunities for lavine for months, but no deal was reached by the deadline on february 9. This may have been attributed to lavine’s season-ending foot surgery, his maximum contract, and the bulls’ high asking price.
There was a lot of speculative about the bulls’ potential trade offer from the lakers, including players like austin reaves, rui hachimura, and a potential first-round pick, but the lakers’ likelihood of reuniting with reaves was questioned. The lakers aren’t focusing on lavine as a primary offseason target, instead focusing on other players like donovan mitchell, trae young, and irving.
The bulls want to explore trade opportunities for lavine once more this offseason as they make important decisions about their roster, including demar derozan’s future and patrick williams’ future. The golden state warriors attempted to involve the lakers in discussions about lebron james through their association with klutch sports and draymond green, but those discussions fell short. James is a player to watch, with how the lakers finish the season being a big factor in a potential decision. Los angeles will need to demonstrate its strength to compete.
