The Chicago Bulls may be open to parting with Zach LaVine, but they sure do seem to be expecting a lot in return for him. NBA insider Jake Fischer is reporting that the Bulls attempted to swap Zach LaVine for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.
“Chicago has also attempted swapping LaVine for other All-Star players, such as pitching Cleveland on the concept of acquiring Darius Garland from the Cavaliers, sources said.”
The Chicago Bulls reportedly tried trading Zach LaVine for Darius Garland, per @JakeLFischer
“Chicago has also attempted swapping LaVine for other All-Star players, such as pitching Cleveland on the concept of acquiring Darius Garland from the Cavaliers, sources said.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/pd8iS8WIVp
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 15, 2023
If this was indeed just a direct swap of the two, then the Cavaliers would have turned down that proposal in an instant. I struggle to imagine that the Bulls believed that kind of a deal would be accepted.
Garland is 23 years old and is averaging 20.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. He’s had some minor injury issues, but there is still a ton of upside there.
In contrast, LaVine is now 28 years old and is putting up 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. The numbers are fairly comparable but one guy is five years younger and just has far greater value on the trade market. You get that a team aims high during trade talks, but Chicago was a bit too high here.
The Bulls’ Reported Asking Price For LaVine
This LaVine saga seems set to drag on for a while, as the Bulls’ asking price seems a bit too steep at this point. Fischer is reporting that the Bulls are seeking an established starter, a young player with upside, and first-round draft capital as well, for LaVine, as he is a multi-time All-Star.
I’d say the chances of them getting that kind of a haul are next to none. LaVine is a good player but with his age and the fact that he doesn’t exactly have a team-friendly contract (five years, $215 million), no one is going to offer all that.
The Bulls will eventually be forced to lower that asking price, but the question is when will that happen? If they just continue to stubbornly dig their heels in, we might not see a move until we get really close to the trade deadline.
Zach LaVine Would Prefer To Go To The Lakers
One of the teams that has been linked with LaVine for quite some time now is the Los Angeles Lakers. It appears that’s where he wants to go as well, as per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“The Bulls have been linked to the Lakers and Raptors in the rumor mill, but multiple sources said LaVine and his representation obviously want Los Angeles because of the Klutch Sports connection.”
LaVine had signed with Klutch Sports Group back in 2021 and ever since then, there had been murmurs about him eventually being a Laker. A fair few clients of Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul have ended up there in the years since LeBron James joined and as per Cowley, LaVine wants to be added to that list.
Even putting that connection aside, L.A. is probably the ideal destination for him. LaVine is best suited to be the third option on a title-contending team and that’s what he’d be on the Lakers, next to LeBron and Anthony Davis.
He would also be an upgrade on someone like D’Angelo Russell, but the Lakers obviously won’t match that reported asking price. Considering they also just won the In-Season Tournament, L.A. is probably not chomping at the bit to make a big move right now.
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