Los Angeles Lakers recently began their Luka Doncic era with a midseason deal for the superstar that shook up the NBA world. Lebron James and Doncic’s productive partnership so far shows that they are in sync and could give a lot of teams nightmares in the playoffs.
But they’ve yet to add the perfect pieces around them to be considered Championship contenders. No matter how far they advance in the playoffs this season, the Lakers will need to address their center position in the offseason. Though Jaxson Hayes is doing a good job and has made significant improvements since the arrival of Doncic, he is not a top-level center. They might need to acquire one in the summer. In the article ‘1 Trade Every Team Should Propose on the 1st Day of the 2025 NBA Offseason’ on Bleacher Report, Greg Swartz suggested one that would see the Chicago Bulls receive Rui Hachimura, Shake Milton and a 2025 second-round pick while the Lakers would get Nikola Vucevic. Swartz wrote: “Vučević isn’t the best stylistic fit next to Luka Dončić and LeBronJames with the Los Angeles Lakers, although he’s a huge upgrade fromJaxson Hayes and can be a reliable third-to-fourth scoring option on anightly basis while providing good rebounding and passing. “Hachimura, 27, has become one the NBA’s best shooting forwards (41.0percent from three this season) who should thrive playing next topass-first guards like Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball.” Parting with Vucevic right now is almost a necessity for the Bulls if they are serious about their rebuild. Over the past year, they have said goodbye with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. If an appropriate offer, especially a first-round pick, is made, this trade will be hard to conclude. At 34 years old, Vucevic is having one of the most efficient seasons of his career. The versatile 6’10” big is averaging 18.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while having a career-best 53.4% field goal percentage while shooting 39.2% from three-point range. Therefore, if Laker makes it happen, there is no question that he could contribute in a big way. Would they, however, want a veteran player to back Doncic instead of someone who can be a part of the team for the foreseeable future?
