Thursday night was all about LeBron James making the headlines yet again. Another NBA record to his name after displacing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the player with most minutes in the history of the competition. But for a change, the LA Lakers won on LeBron’s record-breaking night. But do they really have the winning formula? The fans certainly feel they’re missing a few pieces from any serious conversation and the subject-matter experts also believe the same. Now the question remains, is Rob Pelinka listening?

For anyone keeping their eyes and ears open, they know one of the hottest assets out in the trade rumors is Zach LaVine. The Bulls star has been linked with multiple teams with a move away from Chicago and Chandler Parsons believes this is the best time for the Lakers to strike. “Lakers, do it. Do you have a 25 point scorer that’s shooting 50% from the field and 43% from the 3? This is exactly what you need. You need a guy that can space the floor, that could knock down, that can create his own shot,” the former NBA star said during a recent episode of Fanduel TV’s Run It Back.

He even floated some ideas for Pelinka to fetch over who should be traded. “You can get off of D’Angelo Russell. You can get off maybe one of the younger assets, a pick, whatever, really anybody,” Parsons said. “We always talk about maximizing, you know, Jokic, maximizing Steph Curry. It’s a smaller window to maximize LeBron James and Anthony Davis right now playing together at an elite level.”

Despite that, his co-host, Lou Williams, backed the Nuggets as the preferred destination for LaVine. The 29-year-old has 3 years left on his current contract signed back in 2022. He is yet to receive an estimated amount of $98 million from the deal given he takes the player option in the final year.

Not only the Nuggets or the Lakers, there have been multiple teams interested in taking up that contract. But for LaVine, that’s something out of his control.

Zach LaVine discusses Bulls future amid Lakers and Nuggets trade rumors

According to Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson, Zach LaVine said, “I’m not the one controlling that,” when asked about the speculation surrounding his trade. “That’s what has been so good about my mindset,” he continued. “I can control what my mood is and my mindset going into each game. Outside of that, it’s out of my control.”

He explained that he signed the contract with Chicago because he wanted to stay with the franchise. However, he also admitted that it’s flattering to know multiple teams are showing interest in him.

LaVine is undeniably an elite two-level scorer who would seamlessly fit into both the Lakers and Nuggets’ roster. The shooting guard is currently averaging 22.3 points per game, with an impressive shooting percentage of 50.5% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc.

Apart from LaVine, the Nuggets are also eyeing Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, the players who have also been on the Lakers’ radar. Now, it’s clear that Denver is closely tracking Rob Pelinka and Co.’s moves. If the Lakers don’t act quickly, they may miss their chance to strengthen their roster during this trade window as well.