NEWSLETTER
Only hours after news broke that Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls could begin exploring trade routes, a few teams have made their interest known.
On The Rally, NBA Insider Shams Charania revealed three teams who are expected to show a “level of interest” in LaVine – the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. Not a single name on that list should be dropping any jaws, especially after the countless rumors we’ve seen emerge over the past year.
What Charania’s full remarks here:
Do Any Make Sense for Zach LaVine?
Each team has been connected to LaVine either through concrete reporting or heavy speculation multiple times. The 76ers were tied to the two-time All-Star as recently as Oct. 31. After the organization sent James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix named LaVine as being a part of the “early chatter” surrounding who Philly could target next. As for Miami, they’re failure to land Damian Lillard has made many wonder who they could turn to instead. LaVine is undoubtedly the kind of player who could provide a significant jolt to their 24th-ranked offense.
And do we even have to talk about the Lakers? Not only is this organization in on almost any star that hits the market, but they’ve been drooling over LaVine since he hit the free-agent market two offseasons ago. Picturing his 3-point shooting and off-ball scoring prowess next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis sure isn’t difficult. But we can’t say the same about picturing the assets to get a deal done.
The Lakers are arguably the weakest trade partner of the three teams. While they have a somewhat intriguing 2029 first-round pick, the rest of their package would likely miss the mark. The Bulls would have to settle for accepting the salaries of role players like D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. Jalen Hood-Schifino – the No. 17 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft – would at least be a young prospect to add to the mix, but does he move the needle for Chicago? What if the Lakers threw Austin Reaves into the discussion?
Regardless, I think both Miami and Philly have a better path toward a potential deal. The 76ers could center a trade around multiple first-round draft picks. They have all of their own picks moving forward, as well as a 2028 unprotected first-rounder just added via the Los Angeles Clippers. The contract of Tobias Harris could also easily match LaVine’s deal before officially coming off the books next season.
Miami could then offer something similar to what many expected them to give Portland for Damian Lillard. While future Heat picks feel less valuable (the organization is rarely in full rebuild mode), they could potentially give Chicago a young guard in Tyler Herro. Other possibly interesting youngsters include rookie Jamie Jacquez Jr. and sophomore Nikola Jovic.
Of course, I say all of this also acknowledging that multi-team deals are all the rage in today’s NBA. The door opens much wider for the Bulls to add assets by welcoming other teams into the mix. So while these are the teams currently interested in LaVine, it doesn’t mean the Bulls have to only do business with their executives.
Anyway, I really do expect this list to grow over the coming weeks. We’re only 11 games into the regular season, so many organizations are still trying to figure out who they are. As some begin to panic and covet LaVine’s reliable scoring, others might believe they are ahead of the curve and want to make a big splash. A lot can happen, and I’m hoping the Chicago Bulls keep their options open.
More on that here …
