Before the Chicago Bulls headed into the 2023-24 NBA regular season, rumors were swirling about the team’s potential intentions toward the NBA trade deadline in February.
With so much going wrong for the storied franchise over the last couple of years after putting what seemed like a competitive team together on the basketball floor, the Bulls brass are ready to blow things up with some trades before next month’s deadline.
The one star player the Bulls seem adamant about moving at this point in time appears to be veteran forward Zach LaVine, who is the team’s highest-paid player as well as arguably the most talented athlete on the squad.
However, the problem the Bulls have been facing in regards to trying to trade LaVine is getting teams to be interested in taking on his contract, which still has potentially three years left on it at $43 million or more each season from here on out.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are “focused” on trading LaVine moving forward via NBA Central.
The Chicago Bulls are ‘focused’ on unloading Zach LaVine and reloading the roster on the fly, per @JCowleyHoops
(Via https://t.co/R39XEdbACg) pic.twitter.com/m5z9ZjgZGQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 17, 2024
After this season, LaVine will make $43 million next season, followed by $45.9 million for the 2025-26 campaign and a player option on his contract at $48.9 million for the 2026-27 NBA season.
That’s a hefty sum to take on for a player who has struggled to be the No. 1 option in Chicago and might not be good enough to be a No. 2 option on a championship-caliber team.
That’s quite the gamble for a talented No. 3 on a roster in the NBA, but if a team is willing to take on the contract while giving up substantial assets in return, LaVine is there for the taking.
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