Sources: Injury-hit Pelicans adding Liggins

Zach LaVine wants a trade from the Chicago Bulls. Depending on who you believe, LaVine may or may not have his sights set on the Los Angeles Lakers as his next team. For their part, the Lakers are reportedly interested in LaVine, provided they can center a trade around D’Angelo Russell.

One challenge in trading for LaVine is matching his $40.1 million salary in a deal. For the Lakers, that would likely start with Russell and his $17.3 million contract. The Lakers would need to add other players to a deal for LaVine. That would likely involve Rui Hachimura ($15.7 million) or, less likely, Austin Reaves ($12 million) to match salary for the Bulls star.

If either Hachimura or Reaves is involved in a trade, it will have to wait until January 15 to be completed. Because both players were signed with Bird right and got big enough raises over their prior salaries, the Lakers can’t trade them until January 15.

As for Russell, he waived his ability to block a trade as part of re-signing with Los Angeles this past summer. It’s been expected since Russell re-signed that if the Lakers make a significant trade that he would be a part of it.

Dante Exum will be out indefinitely with a broken bone in his left hand. Exum had become the starting point guard for the Dallas Mavericks following the season-ending injury to Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks also recently lost Olivier-Maxence Prosper to a season-ending injury.

Furthermore, the return timelines for Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are unclear.

Because the Mavericks are hard capped at the first apron after acquiring Klay Thompson via a sign-and-trade last offseason, they are cannot sign another player because even a 10-day contract would put them over.