LaVar Ball Claims Zach Lavine Is Headed To The Lakers

Bulls All-Star Zach Lavine is headed for free agency and LaVar Ball claims he knows where he's going. Home to the Lakers.

"He's gone, and I'm gonna tell you why," Ball said to Chicago media personality David Kaplan. "It started off, Zach Lavine, Zach Lavine, Zach Lavine. Okay, now you get hurt, a few things happen, and guess who's doing all the big plays? All I hear is DeMar, DeMar, DeMar, DeMar. He don't want to play second fiddle, and who don't want to play in L.A.? He want to go back to the west coast."

LaVine doesn't want to play second fiddle in Chicago, but LaVar thinks joining a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis won't make him third wheel? Interesting take, to say the least.

Basketball wise, this is just what the doctor ordered for the Lakers, who have next to zero assets to improve last year's roster. No draft picks, an aging starting lineup that limits options for the trade market, and impatient star players in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This leaves one avenue open to make noise during the 2022-23 season:

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will first need to work his magic getting Russell Westbrook and his $47 million player option off the books, and then free agents are back in play. Obviously not ideal having forked over every young asset they had last year for Westbrook to end it this way, but it's the only way the team improves going forward. This play is also the only option to land Doc Rivers or another meaningful coaching. Is LaVar Ball telling us the truth that LaVine wants to return home to L.A.? Maybe he does -- his reasoning is flawed, though.

Last year, the Lakers turned down a deal that would've landed them future All-Star DeMar Derozen. The Lakers instead shipped half the team to the Washington Wizards to watch Westbrook build brick houses and make excuses all year. Some big decisions loom for the Lakers and none of them are in their hands. We kind of like it that way.