While everyone’s busy talking about Damian Lillard, the Miami Heat, and the Portland Trail Blazers, Arturas Karnisovas and the Chicago Bulls might be onto something interesting.
According to a report by KC Johnson (via NBACentral), the Bulls are currently in discussions with the Philadelphia 76ers and Blazers about a trade centered around Zach LaVine.
Zach LaVine’s name has landed in preliminary trade conversations with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, per @KCJHoop pic.twitter.com/1ovl7UkJpB
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 7, 2023
LaVine has been the target of trade talks for quite a while now, and not even signing a big contract extension with the Windy City organization was enough to put those rumors to rest.
The Bulls would likely be better off trying to move DeMar DeRozan instead, but LaVine’s upside as a younger player also makes him more valuable.
LaVine and coach Billy Donovan have had some altercations, and they’ve publicly addressed the situation multiple times.
The Bulls don’t have a clear direction, and they’re not good enough to compete nor bad enough to tank, which is why they need to either be aggressive in their pursuit of more talent or pull the plug and trade their stars away.
LaVine has been a borderline All-Star player since arriving in the Windy City, and he’s proven to be capable of putting up big numbers on the offensive end of the floor.
He might be better suited to be a Robin instead of a Batman, but his athleticism, scoring, and playmaking should grant the Bulls decent value in return.
Maybe he could even be involved in a blockbuster deal to send Lillard to Miami once and for all.
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