Gilbert Arenas would trade Austin Reaves over D’Angelo Russell for Zach LaVine: “We like Lemon Daddy, but Lemon Daddy can go”
Gilbert Arenas would trade Austin Reaves over D’Angelo Russell for Zach LaVine: “We like Lemon Daddy, but Lemon Daddy can go”
The Los Angeles Lakers are among the favorites to land Zach LaVine if the Chicago Bulls decide to trade him.
According to rumors, the Lakers will likely come up with a package that includes D’Angelo Russell, who has waived his no-trade clause, Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura. However, former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas says that if it were up to him, he would trade Austin Reaves instead of Russell.
“We like Lemon Daddy, but Lemon Daddy can go,” said Arenas via his Gil’s Arena Podcast. “I like AR but for Zach, yeah. Because at the end of the day, I will still have DLo being DLo with Zach, ‘Bron, and AD.”
Not sure if AR can be a full-time point guard
According to Arenas, he isn’t sure if Reaves can be the Lakers’ full-time point guard if DLo is shipped out. He also says that the Bulls will likely prefer a player like Lemon Daddy instead of a point guard like DLo because they already have enough point guards, including Lonzo Ball who is still hurt.
“I want to keep DLo because I don’t know if AR is aggressive enough to be the point guard and then why do they need DLo in Chicago, they already have so many guards. Unless they get rid of or throw Caruso back to us. So they got Caruso, they got uhm zero, wild hair Coby White over there. Coby White, AR, Rui, DeMar, yeah that’s good. You got a little nice team over there,” Arenas added.
With a lineup of DeRozan, AR, Rui, and White, Gil says the Bulls can finish somewhere in the 10th or 11th spot in the East. They would likely end up in the lottery and add another young player who will only make them better next season. But that’s Arenas’ opinion.
The clock is ticking for the Bulls’ current core
The Bulls began gauging interest in LaVine during the offseason. It was also last summer when Nikola Vucevic revealed that the clock is ticking for the Bulls’ current core with this season likely their last rodeo together. But after a poor start to the season, there’s a good chance that management won’t wait for the end of the campaign to shake up the roster.
Meanwhile, the Lakers aren’t where they want to be in the team standings right now.
LeBron is having an incredible Year 21 season but the supporting cast around him, including Anthony Davis, has been very inconsistent. Because of that, they are supposedly interested in adding a proven scorer like LaVine.
The Lakers are in a win-now mode because of LeBron James’ age. There’s no question that Zach LaVine is an elite scorer who could help them manage the heavy minutes that LeBron is playing early in the season. He could also provide the team with the offensive consistency that they sorely lack. But is he the missing piece that puts them over the hump? That’s for Rob Pelinka to decide.
