Grade the Trade: 3-team Lakers megatrade involves Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need more firepower around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The New Orleans Pelicans want to trade Brandon Ingram, rather than extend him. The Chicago Bulls would love nothing more than to dump Zach LaVine's contract and embrace a rebuild in full.

What if there was a single trade to satisfy all three parties in one fell swoop.

Such a concept was proposed by Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report. And folks, it's a doozy, featuring a ton of moving parts in what would easily be the most talked-about trade of the last couple seasons. Here are the full details.

A proper barn-burner, and one that would shift the balance of power in the NBA considerably. On the surface, the logic checks out for each team. Los Angeles gambles on star-power, the Pelicans stockpile depth in place of Ingram's upcoming max contract, and the Bulls swap LaVine's albatross deal for a more palatable building block in Ingram.

The specific details, however, could warrant some quibbling.

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Bold 3-team trade proposal reshapes Lakers, Bulls, Pelicans by moving Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine

Let's start with the Lakers, always the centerpiece of offseason trade speculation. Rob Pelinka has done next to nothing to improve his roster this summer, so it's past time for a move of this magnitude — a swap that meaningfully increases the Lakers' competitive odds and placates LeBron's desire to compete at the highest level in the twilight of his career.

Zach LaVine has become a lightning rod for discourse, but the contract has overshadowed his actual ability at this point. Yes, LaVine is paid a lot and there are injuries on his ledger, but we are talking about a former All-Star who could very well reach those heights again. At full strength, LaVine is among the slipperiest scoring guards in the NBA, blessed with a dynamic first step and athleticism that defies the laws of physics.

His shooting, secondary playmaking, and general dynamism would greatly aid a Lakers offense that too often became stagnant last season. JJ Redick has brought a new perspective to Los Angeles' play-calling, but the first-year head coach can't do it alone. He needs a balanced, competitive roster to get Los Angeles where it wants to go. LaVine can help.

Now, trading two valuable future first-round picks for LaVine, when his value is at its lowest, feels like a wild overpay. I'd swap Rui Hachimura and stuff for LaVine in a heartbeat, but including both of the Lakers' tradable first-round picks is the least believable element of this trade. After what we've all witnessed this summer, there's just no chance that deal goes through with those specifications.

Lakers grade: C

As for the Bulls, this is the hesit of the century. To go from 'we can't trade Zach LaVine because nobody wants him' to Brandon Ingram, D'Angelo Russell, a recent first-round pick in Jalen Hood-Schifino, and two prime future first-round picks (from when LeBron and maybe even Anthony Davis will no longer be employed by the Lakers) is a proper steal. Again, no way this happens, but it would be the greatest maneuver in recent front office history for the Bulls. This trade sets Chicago back on the right track immediately.

The Bulls would need to pay Ingram his max extension, which could be a turnoff, but he's a 27-year-old All-Star with a decidedly modern skill set on the wing. Plant him next to Josh Giddey, Coby White, and the Bulls' new-look young core, and Chicago is at least moving in the right direction for once.

Bulls grade: A

The Pelicans, by comparison, get the short end of the stick. It's clear New Orleans does not want to extend Ingram, and beggars can't be choosers, but the former No. 2 pick should still return more value than Rui Hachimura, spare parts, and a single first-round pick (even if it's a juicy first-round pick).

Hachimura has come on strong these past couple seasons in LA, but he's a low-volume shooter and limited defender. Ingram has his warts, but he's a legitimate playmaking hub at 6-9, with mostly dependable shooting, quality defensive range, and a malleable skill set.

Chris Duarte is barely an NBA player at this point. Jaxson Hayes is a familiar face, but saying he solves New Orleans' void at center is a vast overstatement. He's more like a second or third-string center, depending on how Daniel Theis and Yves Missi perform.

This just isn't enough for Ingram. Some version of this trade could probably work for all three teams, but I am skeptical of this precise framework as the path to a three-way blockbuster.

Pelicans grade: C-