It seems as if Chicago Bulls star wing Zach LaVine has been the subject of trade rumors for the past several years. It has not held him back from performing at a high clip for an otherwise disappointing Bulls squad.
With new rumors popping up regarding the Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in LaVine, the All-Star was asked about it recently. He was pretty frank in his response, too.
“I’ve been traded before. Trades are just part of the business and guys get shuffled around every year. I’ve been in trade talks since I’ve been here for some reason,” LaVine said, via Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago lost to the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night to move to 2-3 on the season. The team does not looking anything like a top contender back east, and hasn’t since LaVine joined it via the Jimmy Butler blockbuster trade back in 2017.
It had led to speculation that front office head Artūras Karnišovas would blow things up this past summer.
For his part, LaVine thinks he’s done his part from an individual perspective.
“I feel like I’ve held up my end of the bargain in my commitment to the Bulls, but there’s not a lot you can do with rumors and people putting your name in trade talks,” the 28-year-old wing said.
Rumors about a potential LaVine trade have hit the front burner again after Philadelphia dealt away James Harden in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week. The expectation is that 76ers general manager Daryl Morey will use these assets to target Lavine.
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The Bulls held a players-only meeting following their season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Guys want to win. You put up a game like this in game 1, you’re going to have some conversations. Guys are frustrated and you should be. It’s a good thing, but sucks that it happened game 1. It happened, and we got to go from there.”
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LaVine is currently playing under a five-year, $215.2 million contract he signed with Chicago back in July of 2022. He’s under contract through the 2025-26 campaign with a player option for 2026-27.
Despite this, there has been talk that Chicago might simply decide to blow this up. Fellow wing DeMar DeRozan is slated to become a free agent after this season and has also been the subject of trade rumors.
As for interest in LaVine’s services, it won’t be limited to the 76ers ahead of the NBA trade deadline. He’s just too dynamic of a player for a limited market (25.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 48% shooting since start of 2018-19).
At issue here is Chicago’s reported asking price for the wing and his bloated contract. The Bulls’ demands are said to include a young player with upside and multiple first-round picks.