The Los Angeles Lakers are widely expected to cash in on some of their trade-able first round picks this summer and pursue a third star next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In a recent article from Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, a hypothetical Zach LaVine to the Lakers trade idea was presented.

In the deal, Los Angeles receives LaVine, and Chicago receives D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt. While this feels like a steal for the Lakers on the surface, Swartz presented the following logic for Chicago:

“Chicago likely won’t be getting any great offers for LaVine given his recent injuries and the three years and $138 million remaining on his contract,” Swartz wrote. “Swapping LaVine for three starters/role players who all make under $20 million would give the Bulls far more flexibility moving forward no matter what direction they choose to go in.”

As Swartz also added, LaVine would not be LA’s top target this summer, but if their expected pursuit of bigger stars falls through, they could do worse than buying low on a player of LaVine’s caliber. For Chicago, they are almost certain to go a different direction this summer, and will likely be prioritizing future flexibility as part of their rebuild effort.

This Bulls offseason will be one to follow closely as they attempt to give this team some direction after several years of mediocrity. There are no great options for Chicago at this point, but they have to do something to pull out of this purgatory.