NBA Rumors: Zach LaVine Trade to Be 'Actively' Explored by Bulls amid Star's Remarks
October 1, 2024
Zach LaVine made it clear during Monday's media day session that he's committed to helping the Chicago Bulls be successful this season, but the team is going to keep the door open for a trade involving the two-time All-Star.
Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are continuing to "actively" explore deals involving LaVine.
This comes after LaVine said he is fully healthy and ready to do all that he can for the Bulls as long as he is playing for them.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the team that has been most frequently connected to LaVine in trade speculation, but there is no indication that a deal has ever been close to happening.
It was virtually impossible for a LaVine trade to happen last season because a foot injury limited him to 25 games. He had season-ending surgery on Feb. 8 with a four- to six-month recovery timetable.
There is still a high degree of difficulty for a LaVine trade to become a reality. He has two more guaranteed years and $89 million remaining on his contract, plus a $49 million player option for 2026-27.
Given the restrictions teams face with the new apron rules, there may not be a big market for a player like LaVine. He's an effective scorer with five straight seasons of at least 20 points per game from 2018-19 to 2022-23, but he's a ball-dominant player who doesn't pass much.
Some metrics show that LaVine can be an adequate defensive player with the right support system around him, but that's never going to be a strength of his game.
The Bulls have every reason to explore the market for LaVine. They traded Alex Caruso and let DeMar DeRozan leave in free agency, so expectations are already low for a team that has missed the playoffs six times in the past seven seasons.
If the Bulls could find a deal that gives them anything of long-term value for LaVine, they should probably jump at the opportunity. He could be useful as the No. 2 scoring option for a playoff contender that needs more help on offense.
LaVine has averaged 20.5 points on 38.2 percent three-point shooting in 580 career games over 10 seasons in the NBA.