The Chicago Bulls reportedly continue to ask for a significant return in a potential trade involving two-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine.
According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls are still “seeking a strong return” for LaVine and are not content to move him in a salary-dump move, nor do they view trading him as “addition by subtraction.”
LaVine’s name has been at the forefront of the rumor mill throughout the season, but netting a quality package in return for him could prove difficult since teams may be reluctant to take on the five-year, $215.16 million contract he signed in 2022.
The 28-year-old LaVine is in the midst of his seventh season with the Bulls, and he is having a down year by his standards, which may also impact his trade value.
LaVine missed time this season with a foot injury, but he has been back in the lineup since earlier this month and has appeared in 25 games on the year.
In those games, LaVine is averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.4 three-pointers made, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc.
His scoring is at its lowest mark since he averaged 16.7 points per game in his first season with the Bulls in 2017-18, plus LaVine is averaging fewer assists than he has since 2017-18 and fewer trifectas than he has since 2018-19.
LaVine has his worst shooting percentage from the floor since 2019-20 and from three-point range since 2017-18 as well.
Still, LaVine is a talented offensive player who averaged at least 23.7 points per game in each of the previous five seasons, and was named an All-Star in back-to-back campaigns in 2021 and 2022.
The Bulls are in a unique spot in that they are only 21-25 on the season, but they are still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race in ninth place.
Since starting the season 10-17, the Bulls have played much better, going 11-8 over their past 19 outings.
If the Bulls are unable to get the type of return they want for LaVine, they may be best off keeping him and attempting to make a playoff run with a core that also includes DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the team that has been most often linked to LaVine since LaVine attended UCLA, and they could use a third star to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
However, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin recently reported that the Lakers have ruled out attempting to trade for LaVine and The Athletic’s Jovan Buha said on the HoopsHype podcast this week that the Lakers have made acquiring Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray their “priority.”
With the Lakers seemingly out of the running and no other team standing out as desperate to trade for LaVine, the Bulls may have no choice other than to keep him or accept a trade package that is well below their asking price.
