NBA Trades: Bold proposed Lakers swap would send a Bulls star to L.A

Cracks are beginning to show on the Los Angeles Lakers, who started the season strong but have begun to slow down. They just failed to qualify for the NBA Cup tournament, meaning that they won't be able to defend their NBA Cup from last season. Not only that, but they have a porous defense that risks preventing them from reaching their full potential. 

That makes the possibility of a trade seem almost inevitable for the Lakers, and one potential trade target may actually be more affordable than they first thought. The Chicago Bulls appear to be ready to do a full-scale teardown, and one of their best players, Nikola Vucevic, is not only available but would cost only two second-round picks. 

Given that the Lakers may be hesitant to give up a first-round pick to improve, the prospect of getting a starting center for a couple of second-rounders could be hard to pass up. 

One potential hiccup in a deal is that the Bulls may not want to take back long-term salary, and the Lakers may not want to move D'Angelo Russell in a deal after he's played well coming off the bench. The alternative would be to include Rui Hachimura, who will make $35.2 million over this season and next year, Jalen Hood-Schifino and two seconds for Vucevic. 

Should the Los Angeles Lakers trade for Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic?

Vucevic has been overrated in recent years even as he has declined as a player. While he can put up big numbers and hit threes, he wasn't an efficient 3-point shooter over the last four seasons prior to this one. Of course, he is drilling threes at an impressive clip now, making him far more appealing. 

However, the main drawback to his game is his questionable defense, with him not being much of a rim protector and having trouble guarding away from the rim. Those two things seemingly wouldn't make him a great fit on a team that already ranks just 25th in defensive rating.

Then again, his playing alongside Anthony Davis could help him on that end, and traditionally playing two true big men together often results in lower opponent scoring. On offense, they could benefit from playing big with Vucevic being a skilled offensive rebounder who can score in the post and is shooting a career-high from three on high volume. 

He would allow the Lakers to play big, especially with LeBron James being 6'8 and playing the three, without compromising their top-5 ranked offense. Defense is a big question mark, but if the Lakers could get Vucevic for Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, and two seconds, then they should strongly consider doing so.