The Chicago Bulls are going through a rough patch right now.
They’ve failed to keep that momentum from their promising season in 2021-22, with DeMar DeRozan still at his best but the rest of the supporting cast underperforming.
Nikola Vucevic’s regression is worrisome, but perhaps the biggest storyline of the season has been Zach LaVine.
LaVine has been spotted going at it with coach Billy Donovan and has been benched down the stretch a couple of times.
Moreover, a recent report states that his teammates have been frustrated with his attitude and that he’s not seeing eye-to-eye with the organization.
Apparently, the UCLA product and Klutch Sports client is trying to force his way back to Southern California:
“LaVine wants to go to the Lakers, that has been pretty clear for a while now,” an unnamed Eastern Conference executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney. “The agents [from Klutch Sports] want him to be in Los Angeles, he is a UCLA guy and they did some rattling about his contract last offseason, to kind of lay the groundwork if things blew up. Which they seem to be doing.”
Execs believe Zach LaVine is trying to force his way to LA
“LaVine wants to go to the Lakers, that has been pretty clear for a while now. The agents want him to be in Los Angeles, he is a UCLA guy and they did some rattling about his contract last offseason”
(Via @SeanDeveney) pic.twitter.com/WHzDBD6txK
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 21, 2022
LaVine has been linked to the Lakers multiple times in the past.
He’s represented by LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ agent, and he’s often handled himself like someone who’s already outgrown the ever-struggling Bulls.
Nonetheless, he’s fresh off signing a significant contract extension with the Windy City organization, so pulling off a trade would be an uphill battle, even for Rich Paul and Rob Pelinka.
NEXT: DeMar DeRozan Might Make A Huge Change This Summer