The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as a potential trade suitor for Zach LaVine. One challenge is that the Lakers can't make any kind of deal for LaVine until closer to mid-December or mid-January, when offseason signees become trade eligible.

One of those players is Austin Reaves, who can't be traded until January 15. Per Shams Charania of FanDuelTV, the Chicago Bulls would covet Reaves in a potential LaVine deal.

Los Angeles would need to trade Chicago more than just Reaves to make the salary-matching work. However, Reaves and his team-friendly four-year, $54 million deal would be a good starting point in trade discussions between the two teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers received the No. 1 seed in the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament in the Western Conference and will play the Phoenix Suns. The Sacramento Kings will play the New Orleans Pelicans in the other matchup.

The Bucks-Knicks and Pacers-Celtics will square off in the Eastern Conference rounds.  

TNT and ESPN will combine studio and analyst talent for the semifinals next Thursday. 

Rui Hachimura has undergone a procedure to repair a nasal fracture.

Hachimura did not accompany the Los Angeles Lakers on their four-game trip starting in Cleveland on Saturday and continuing through Philadelphia, Detroit and Oklahoma City. 

Los Angeles signed Hachimura to a three-year, $51 million contract extension in the offseason.

Cam Reddish left the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz due to a groin injury and did not return.

Reddish will be re-evaluated on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury.

Reddish is averaging 7.9 points and 2.7 rebounds on the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are focused on "internal improvement" amid Zach LaVine trade rumors, according to Marc Stein of Substack.

The Lakers are one of the teams that LaVine is reportedly interested in getting traded to, along with the Sixers and Heat.

Stein describes the Lakers' interest in LaVine as TBD.

The team is also hoping that the return of Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent will give them a boost. 

LeBron James was in a playful mood following the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, but he also had a serious message. James said he constantly reminds himself of why he's still playing.

"Just trying to push the limit," the Lakers star said. "See how far I can take this thing. I don't know. I mean, it's me vs. Father Time."

James said he enjoys the competition with players like Dillon Brooks, adding that "Those young guys, they get me going. So, I need that."

Zach LaVine reportedly prefers to get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, or the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

LaVine is also interested in the Spurs and the Kings as a destination.

Sources add that LaVine does not view the Bulls roster as competitive, and is also looking to play under a different coach.

There is a belief around the league that a LaVine trade wouldn't happen until later in the season.

The Lakers, Heat, and Sixers have all registered interest in LaVine.

Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis was open about one of the draws to winning the NBA's In-Season Tournament. Davis said the prize money is the lure for a lot of the players.

"$500 [thousand] sounds real good to us. It’s going to bring that juice, you know what I mean? … I heard one of our players, I’m not going to say who but he was like, ‘Man,’ when we beat Phoenix, ‘That’s one step closer to this $500. I’ve never had that before.’ So it’s like, that’s a little extra motivation," Davis said.

The players on the team that wins the NBA Cup will each get $500,000 in prize money. For players on a league minimum salary, that can range between nearly half of their yearly salary to one-quarter of it. The Lakers have five players signed to minimum contracts for this season.

The Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine are reportedly exploring the idea of him being traded. As the first All-Star level player to come available since Damian Lillard and James Harden, LaVine is expected to have a wide market.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are all expected to have interest in LaVine. The Lakers would be bringing LaVine back to Los Angeles, where he played collegiately at UCLA.

Miami missed out on trading for Lillard, and could offer an enticing of package of expiring salary and young players/draft picks to Chicago for LaVine. As for the Sixers, they just created a lot of long-term salary flexibility when they traded Harden. They also have several players on expiring contracts, as well as some draft picks to offer for LaVine.

Friday's In-Season Tournament game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns averaged 1.93 million viewers, representing a 73% increase from last year's game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nets-Celtics matchup earlier in the night drew 1.41 million viewers, down 4% from last year. 

In-Season Tournament games are averaging 1.7 million viewers, a 55% increase on the equivalent four windows from last season.

This season's games are also averaging 1.91 million viewers across ESPN and TNT, up 11% from last year.