According to the Chicago Sun-Times, LaVine and his team want to be traded to the Lakers.
How credible this rumor is for the time being. For the Los Angeles Lakers at this stage, LaVine is certainly not the best choice for reinforcement.
Reason: congruence.
LaVine still has a big four-year contract of more than 170 million. The average salary is more than 40 million, which means that the Lakers have to pay at least 2-3 players. But for the latter, it is almost only Russell and Schifino who will trade without hesitation at this stage - the amount is not evenly matched.
In addition, the Lakers' overall three-point percentage so far this season is 35.2%. For comparison, the Hornets 37.5% and the Wizards 35.1%. In other words, it is not as good as some fish belly teams.
From an overall three-point perspective, the Lakers should prioritize strengthening their shooters.
In the 573 games so far in his career, LaVine has a three-point rate of 38.2% and an average of 2.2 goals per game. It is not denied that he is a reliable shooter, but it is inevitably overkill to only be a fixed-point pitcher under the two-time All-Star.
At the same time, with Vanderbilt's return from injury, the Lakers, who are almost fully fit, have shown very good chemistry and immediacy.
Explanation point 1: Hachimura. He has a 42.9 percent three-point percentage and an average of 1.2 goals per game since the game against the Rockets.
Illustrative point two: James. During the same period, the three-point percentage was 43.5%, and the average was 2.6 goals per game. Who would have thought that James would effectively develop three points at an age close to retirement. Taking this as an example, can Brother Alphabet also develop three points? Of course, this is a later story.
Note 3: Prince. During the same period, the three-point rate is 42.1%, and the average is 2.1 shots per game.
Regarding Prince's three-point shooting, it should be noted that 35.1% of the shots come from dribbling, combined with the 42.1% three-point rate, it can be said that he has the ability to shoot three-point like Curry.
In fact, in my opinion, Prince is like a low-profile version of the library.
Reason 1: Similarities. As mentioned earlier, Prince has the three-point shooting ability of Curry.
Reason 2: Differences. In addition to his top-notch three-point shooting ability, Curry also has the ability to handle the ball, which Prince does not have.
The low-profile version reflects that Prince does not have the ball-handling ability of Curry.
Of course, I think Prince is much more reliable than LaVine.
Reason 1: Contract. As mentioned earlier, LaVine still has four years and more than $170 million on his contract, while Prince has one year and $4.5 million expiring contract. Potentially, the latter operates well on the follow-up.
Reason 2: Positioning. So far in his career, Prince has been positioned as a role player. Therefore, there are no complaints about continuing to play as a role player. LaVine, on the other hand, would definitely not be willing to position him as a role player, after all, he has been selected as an All-Star twice at this stage.
Finally, in the case of congratulating the Lakers on welcoming a low-profile version of Curry, Prince is also much more reliable than LaVine.