The Chicago Bulls are reportedly open to making Zach LaVine available for a trade. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
As Charania reports, The Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers are said to be considering a trade for the two-time All-Star. The 28-year-old is averaging 21.9 points and 3.0 assists this season, but things aren’t going well for the Bulls. With a record of 4-7, Chicago only occupies 12th place in the Eastern Conference – not enough for the Bulls’ demands.
According to KC Johnson (NBC Sports Chicago), the Bulls had discussions about a possible LaVine trade during the offseason, but the demands were too high for other teams. The guard is in the second year of a five-year contract that will pay him a total of $215 million. LaVine also holds a player option worth almost $49 million for the 2026/27 season.
That’s a lot of money, especially since LaVine has had knee problems throughout his career and has never been able to prove that he can make his team better as a first option. In general, LaVine has only played four playoff games since arriving in the NBA in 2014. The 28-year-old came to the Windy City in 2017 as part of the Jimmy Butler trade to Minnesota, and since then he has played 360 games for the Bulls.
If LaVine is traded, it could have a domino effect. There are also trade rumors surrounding DeMar DeRozan after the 34-year-old failed to reach agreement on an early contract extension with Chicago in the offseason. DeRozan will be a free agent next summer, but according to Charania, he wants to see how the Bulls perform this season before considering a new contract.
Zach LaVine: His stats for the Chicago Bulls
2023-11-15 06:07:00
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