Could the Los Angeles Lakers end up making a trade move for the Chicago Bulls and what would that mean for the future of Austin Reaves?

The Los Angeles Lakers have had an interesting start to the season. Anthony Davis has been immense and they look better than most would have expected. But then, there are still question marks over whether they can hang with the truly elite teams.

Their only notable win has come against the Phoenix Suns, who then got the better of the Lakers just days later. The Cleveland Cavaliers did not have much trouble brushing them aside.

If the Lakers are aiming for a Championship, they might still need to add another high-profile scorer to their roster.

Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls has been linked with the Lakers for a while. Many teams must be regretting not bringing him in over the summer when his trade value was at its lowest.

LaVine has been fantastic to start off the 2024-25 season. Over the first six games, he has averaged 22.7 points per game and is making 45.8% of his threes.

That is the type of dynamic scorer that many teams in the NBA could do with right now, including the Lakers.

If the Lakers did come calling for LaVine at some point, one would think that Austin Reaves’ name would come up in any potential trade talks.

Would the Lakers be open to parting ways with Reaves though? He is well-liked within the organization and has been solid to start off the season as well.

According to Sam Amick in a recent report from The Athletic: “If the Lakers have any chance of making a major move, it will almost certainly have to include the guard who is known to be a favorite of owner Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.

This Lakers front-office group found him on the undrafted scrap heap in 2021, then saw him turn into one of their favorite in-house success stories.

First-year coach JJ Redick is also known to be a huge fan of Reaves. Add that he’s on a very team-friendly deal, and it’s not hard to understand why there’s a strong reluctance to make him available.

“But there’s a difference between greatly valuing a player like Reaves and deeming him virtually untouchable, as league sources say the Lakers have in the past. And if these Lakers find themselves falling behind in the West playoff race midseason, with star-player trade scenarios potentially crossing their proverbial desk, this is an internal discussion they’ll likely have to revisit.”

Reaves has enjoyed quite the rise in the NBA, going from undrafted in 2021 to a starter for the Lakers just a couple of years later.

He is exactly the type of player who would fit the direction that the Bulls seem to be headed in right now.

That being said, the Bulls have been much better than expected at the start of the season. They are 3-3 with wins over the Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks.

Could that lead to the Bulls rethinking their strategy? Or are they convinced that they are on the right path?