The Chicago Bulls have been trying to trade Zach LaVine since at least last season. A season-ending injury complicated those plans last season. But even now that LaVine is presumed to be healthy again, the Bulls still haven’t been able to find a trade partner for the two-time All-Star.
The Bulls are looking to get younger and are entering a rebuild. LaVine, 29, remains an excellent three-level scorer, but aside from getting in passing lanes, he doesn’t offer much defensively.
- Zach LaVine stats last season: 19.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 34.9% 3PT
LaVine has only been to the playoffs once in his 10-year career. His last postseason appearance came in 2022 when the Bulls lost 4-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Now, he’s being called out by an anonymous member of the Bulls, who had some not-so-nice things to say about the shooting guard.
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Chicago Bulls team member puts Zach LaVine on blast
Zach LaVine has been a member of the Chicago Bulls since 2017. At one point, he looked like the future in Chicago. A potential franchise player. But that’s when he was averaging 25.2 PPG while shooting 39.2% from 3-point range. Now that he was limited to just 25 games, while seeing his scoring averages dip, LaVine’s stock isn’t so high.
But that doesn’t give members of the Bulls the right to badmouth the bouncy shooting guard. Yet, that’s exactly what one unnamed Bulls team member did.
“He’s never won, he’s done it his way the whole way and never won,” a team source told ESPN. “If he’s interested in winning, he’ll do what’s asked of him. And if he’s motivated to not be here, one way is to come, be compliant and be who he is.”
That’s pretty harsh. But we don’t know what goes on inside the Bulls’ facilities. Yet, when LaVine is healthy, he’s an effective scorer. As for why Chicago hasn’t won, that’s not all LaVine’s fault. The Bulls could have built a better team around him, and the Lonzo Ball surely had a big negative impact on their chances to compete.
Yet, it’s true that LaVine has hurt the team too. While injuries are unpreventable, LaVine’s contract includes a $43 million cap hit in 2024. The same is true in 2025, with a $45M cap hit. Even in 2026, the Bulls, or whatever team LaVine’s on, will have to account for his $48M player option, which at this point, he seems likely to exercise.
Ultimately, this seems like a situation that’s spiraling out of control, but one way things could improve is if LaVine can stay healthy. Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done.
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