NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers prioritize pursuing $20,000,000 Bulls' center to address big man concerns in LA

The LA Lakers have been linked with Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine for a minute now, although they never came to land the guard and make him their third star behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. A recent report suggests that the Purple and Gold are interested in a different player to address one of their most notable issues.

According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points (via NBA Central on X/Twitter), Nikola Vucevic is now an LA Lakers target ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

“Late Thursday evening, league sources informed Clutch Points that the Lakers are still highly interested in Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. In fact, it would not be crazy to call Vucevic one of Los Angeles’ top targets ahead of the trade deadline.”

The 2024 NBA trade deadline is set for Feb. 6, meaning that most teams will start working to complete deals before the deadline strikes. The Lakers already moved D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton at the end of December.

They could be cooking another trade that puts them in position to compete for the championship this year.

The 17-time NBA champions have been trying to find somebody to pair with Anthony Davis, and Vucevic has been a person of interest for them. The Chicago Bulls are still a wandering-around team, and perhaps this is the right situation for them to blow it up.

Vucevic, 34, was one of the best centers in the league during his time with the Orlando Magic. He's still a reliable player in Chicago, but taking his talents to a different team might put him in a better position to win.

Lakers might face obstacles to land Nikola Vucevic

As promising as this move is for Los Angeles, it might not come as easy as they think. In the same report, Siegel names Nikola Vucevic a trade target for the Golden State Warriors, although they aren't interested in dealing their young players to Chicago.

Golden State is reportedly unwilling to trade Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, which makes this a tricky situation. That said, they remain interested in Vucevic and could ruin the Lakers' plans.

In 44 games played this season, the big man averages 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 55.3% from the field. Chicago boasts a 19-26 record, heading straight to another losing season.