Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Nikola Vucevic, G Lonzo Ball
Chicago Bulls Receive: F/C Anthony Davis
If nothing else, this trade is rich in narrative.
Anthony Davis, after years of speculation, finally joins his hometown Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball rejoins the Los Angeles Lakers years after LeBron James effectively pushed him out of town. The headlines write themselves.
Of course, there are basketball reasons for both of these sides to do this deal. The Bulls ought to shore up their poor defense by swapping Vucevic for Davis. Granted, Ball is a quality defender in his own right, but they’ve got Alex Caruso to cover his assignments. They’re entirely lacking in the rim protection Davis would provide.
Meanwhile, this deal affords the Lakers some flexibility with Westbrook. If they want to keep him, Ball’s floor-spacing has reached a point where they could co-exist in the backcourt. Meanwhile, Vucevic is an ideal player to maximize him as a stretch five.
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On the other hand, if they still decide they’re done with Westbrook, they’re landing his immediate replacement in Ball. If they can get a quality return for him elsewhere, they could be significantly better in 2022-23.
