The Chicago Bulls Open to Trading Zach LaVine: Possible Suitors and Future Prospects

Los Chicago Bulls are willing to transfer to Zach LaVine after another bleak start to the campaign in the NBA. The Illinois franchise is beginning to listen to offers from several teams interested in the shooting guard. 28 years, unable to establish himself as a star in the league despite the fact that his status and salary in the Windy City place him as such. According to The Athletic, three teams that will ask about the player will be Los Angeles Lakers, los Miami Heat y los Philadelphia 76ers.

LaVine landed in Chicago in 2017 as part of the transfer between the Timberwolves and the Bulls for Jimmy Butler. Since then, the franchise has not been able to build a winning project around the guard, who in the summer of 2022 signed a contract extension for the maximum of five seasons and 215 million of dollars. Under the current scheme with three references, made up of the guard, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, The iconic team has barely reached the playoffs and has been shipwrecked on countless occasions.

Since LaVine’s arrival, Chicago presents a balance of 192 wins and 284 losses, and three coaches and two different executive directors have passed through the franchise. The shooting guard has been the main offensive and scoring threat of the group, which has once again shown signs of lack of understanding since the first meeting of the 2023-2024 season.

After losing to the Thunder in the season opener, the group asked Billy Donovan to leave them alone in the locker room to have a discussion between players without the coach’s intervention. The main concern of the group is what is confirmed now: they continue playing the same basketball that last year was not enough for them to even reach the playoffs.

LaVine is at the center of the problem, and his efficiency has dropped significantly compared to previous seasons. With averages of 21.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3 assists In 35 minutes of play, his numbers do not justify the salary that makes him one of the best paid in the competition. DeRozan, perhaps the true leader of the group, still does not want to reach a renewal agreement for now and this summer could become a free agent. The 34-year-old veteran, also a shooting guard, wants to see the direction the team takes before accepting a contract extension.

Zach LaVine’s possible suitors

Chicago does not want to, despite hanging the sign of “on sale”, just get rid of his star escort. At 28 years old, LaVine still has a lot of career ahead of him and is an attractive asset for several franchises thanks to his ability to score from the perimeter and in isolated plays. The Bulls’ price was high, as team sources acknowledged to NBC Sports Chicago before the start of the season. “They are looking for a good young player, several first rounds in the Draft and salary exceptions if they decide to transfer LaVine”, who with them became an All Star twice (2021 and 2022). Another “intriguing” option would be a first rounder and a top-level player, another league source pointed out.

For now the names of the Lakers, Miami y Philadelphia as possible destinations, but other teams can use LaVine’s scoring ability to improve their prospects this season. Some examples would be Warriors, los Pacers o los Grizzlies, also even the Raptors. All of them need a little more scoring to complement their current references, with the exception of Indiana, which could simply redouble its commitment to a dazzling attack by bringing together Tyrese Haliburton and LaVine.

Due to his contract restrictions, the Lakers should probably wait until January to run their offense for LaVine. D’Angello Russell and Rui Hachimura They have clauses that tie them to the chair until the 15th of the new year. He also has similar restrictions on key players in a hypothetical trade to the Heat or Pacers.

The bombing could occur if the lack of understanding between Klay Thompson and the Warriors before their imminent free agency leads to a trade for LaVine. Letting him go without getting anything in return would be wasting another exceptional year from Steph Curry when he has very few left. There are many options and the situation has just started, but league sources told The Athletic that the Bulls will not have the same squad in about a month. “Change seems imminent in Chicago”they wrote in the specialized media owned by The New York Times.

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2023-11-15 11:32:23
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