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According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the Chicago Bulls have discussed trading Zach LaVine with the Chicago Bulls.
Edwards reported that the Bulls are considering acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and “one of the top players in Detroit,” citing Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Arthur Thompson and Jalen Duren as possible candidates. Ta. However, Detroit has no intention of moving any of its four promising stars.
The fact that the Pistons aren't letting go of any of the two-time All-Stars who are still in their 20s shows how depressed the market for LaVine is. But that's the reality the Bulls are facing.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst summed it up well on his show on January 11th. nba today He said, “If they can trade Zach LaVine in the next five minutes, they'll trade him. Then Zach will be happy to go to the airport.”
Chicago's position has further weakened since then, as the 28-year-old missed the team's final two games with an ankle injury.
Calling LaVine a distressed asset is probably an understatement, as this season presents the worst-case scenario in terms of building any kind of market.
The 6-foot-5 guard's scoring (19.5 points) and shooting percentage (45.2 percent overall, 34.9 percent from three) are down from last year. He has missed 20 games, adding to long-standing concerns about his durability. And the Bulls haven't suffered much. His absence from the lineup also points to another question about his ability to meaningfully contribute to the team's victory.
Chicago is 11-9 in the games LaVine has missed, with a net rating of -5.4 when he plays, compared to a +0.8 net rating when he's not on the court. NBA.com.
At some point, the Bulls may need to rip the bandage off.
Perhaps LaVine's performance will improve and he'll become the team's mainstay, or at least his trade value will stabilize.
Chicago could easily find itself in a similar bind as the Atlanta Hawks with John Collins. The veteran forward has been the subject of constant rumors for years, and the Hawks have been waiting for a suitable offer. They finally fired him last summer in what was effectively a pay dump.
The longer the Bulls wait, the more likely they are to retreat into a corner.
