The Los Angeles Lakers’ incredible beginning to the Luka Dončić era continued Thursday night after the team defeated the New York Knicks by a score of 113-109 in an overtime battle.
Los Angeles has climbed the Western Conference standings at a rapid pace since Dončić was paired with four-time NBA champion LeBron James via trade on Feb. 2, though their offensive production has taken a step back as evidenced by their No. 15 ranked 116.1 offensive rating in their last eight contests.
Due to the Lakers’ unexpected offensive regression, their general manager Rob Pelinka could already be looking past this season to the summer in order to scour the offseason trade market. In fact, it may be possible that Pelinka could contact the Chicago Bulls to inquire about a trade for their shifty guard Coby White.
At 25 years old, the 6-foot-5 combo-guard has developed into a reliable offensive threat after being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Chicago.
In 56 appearances this season for the Bulls, White has contributed 18.9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds while flashing star potential as a microwave scorer and wonderful ball-handler.
The reason why the Lakers could be drawn to White as a potential top-end trade target could boil down to the fact that both Dončić and James have experienced major success while sharing the court with a player of his archetype, like the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving.
While White isn’t on the same level as either a scorer or a ball-handler as the nine-time All-Star and 2016 NBA champion, his skillset is visibly comparable.
If White were to be dealt to the Lakers for what would likely be a package of rookie Dalton Knecht, the salary of either Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt and draft capital, it’s plausible to believe the skilled guard could thrive in an environment where he’s trusted to operate with the ball in his hands and create his own offense in an effort to take pressure off of the team’s generational duo.
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