Tag: Zach LaVine

2024-25 Chicago Bulls: A quick preview

The Chicago Bulls appear ready to dismantle their roster and focus on a full rebuild around their remaining young talent. After years without significant roster changes, the Bulls shook things up this summer by trading away DeMar DeRozan, their top …

The Chicago Bulls appear ready to dismantle their roster and focus on a full rebuild around their remaining young talent. After years without significant roster changes, the Bulls shook things up this summer by trading away DeMar DeRozan, their top offensive weapon, and Alex Caruso, their defensive anchor. Although they missed the optimal window to get maximum value for both players, their trades have now positioned the team for a youth movement.

The future now centers around guard Josh Giddey, rookie forward Matas Buzelis, Coby White, and Patrick Williams. Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, had an impressive Summer League showing and is expected to play a significant role this season. Standing at 6-foot-8 with rare ball-handling skills for his size, Buzelis brings much-needed versatility to the Bulls, though his shooting remains a work in progress.

Despite persistent trade rumors, Zach LaVine remains on the roster, leaving questions about whether the Bulls will trade him before the season or if he still fits into their future plans. Nikola Vucevic has also failed to meet expectations in Chicago, leaving the Bulls with a depleted frontcourt. The only reinforcement heading into the season is the addition of Jalen Smith on a bargain contract.

Bleacher Report proposes Lakers trade four players for Zach LaVine

A Bleacher Report writer suggested the Lakers make this questionable trade to land two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.

Are the Los Angeles Lakers going to make any moves this offseason? We’re roughly midway through the summer, and yet they haven’t brought in a single player from another team.

Their only newcomers who are on standard contracts are draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. While Knecht, the No. 17 pick in June’s draft, was expected by many to be a top-10 pick and is considered arguably the most NBA-ready incoming rookie, he cannot necessarily be expected to make a sizable impact this coming season.

Just about everyone agrees the Lakers need a two-way wing and a defensive center. Some would also say they need a legitimate third scorer, if not a legitimate third star.

To that end, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report suggested the Lakers ship out four players in return for the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine, a player they’ve been repeatedly been linked to.

Via Bleacher Report:

“The Trade: Los Angeles Lakers acquire Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls for Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes,” wrote Hughes.

“LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still as good as it gets among NBA duos, and the Lakers can’t go into the 2024-25 season without taking a big swing at supporting them with more high-end talent.

“You’ll notice we didn’t say ‘high-end availability and a demonstrated capacity to drive winning.’ That’s because Zach LaVine, who’s been viewed as something pretty close to trade poison over the last year or so, doesn’t have those things. What he does have is elite scoring skill, as demonstrated by his pair of All-Star nods and 2022-23 average of 24.8 points on a 48.5/37.5/84.8 shooting split.”

LaVine is a somewhat polarizing player. While he is a proven scorer and a pretty efficient one, as Hughes pointed out, it is unclear whether the numbers he puts up can make an impact on a winning team. He has played on a team that finished with a winning record just once — that was in the 2021-22 season when the Bulls won 26 of their first 36 games but lost 15 of their final 22.

Then there is his injury history. He has appeared in over 67 games just once in the last eight seasons, and he played in just 25 games this past season.

If that wasn’t enough, the trade Hughes suggested would leave Los Angeles bereft of frontcourt depth while jettisoning arguably their only effective wing or perimeter defender in Vanderbilt.

The Warriors reportedly rebuffed the Bulls over a Zach LaVine offer and moved on really quickly

It’s kinda unbelievable how no one wants Zach LaVine.

NBA free agency began with rumors that there wasn’t much of a market for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine. It appears those were rumors that were completely founded.

As the new NBA league year officially kicked, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that the Bulls offered to trade LaVine to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors apparently wanted no part of LaVine — at least for that proposed deal — and pivoted to eventually waiving the veteran Paul.

Am I the only one who thinks that would’ve been a good trade for the Warriors? Oof. At any rate, tough break, Bulls:

The Warriors are in the process of trying to revitalize the Steph Curry era. And I know LaVine’s skill set isn’t the most enticing for a team trying to compete for a championship, but I think he would’ve actually fit perfectly in the Bay Area. Unless Golden State has grander ambitions (Paul George?), declining a deal for LaVine that included a player it would wave anyway doesn’t make much sense.

From the rebuilding Bulls’ perspective, if they really can’t trade LaVine, they are locked into at least two more years of the scorer if he doesn’t exercise a player option two years from now. With the way free agency and the trade market are already unfolding, that would be a disaster for a team apparently trying to tear it all down. It would effectively put their hopeful rebuild on hold.

Should the Chicago Bulls trade Zach LaVine to the Detroit Pistons for fifth pick of the 2024 NBA draft?

Would such a deal make sense for both parties?

We have heard rumbles about the Chicago Bulls perhaps trying to move up in the 2024 NBA draft lottery to get the player they have set their sights on (whoever that may be), but sparse chatter about what such a move might actually look like.

But one team analyst recently made a stab at creating a framework and a range of targets on such a swap, hinting at dealing away Zach LaVine and the Bulls’ 11th overall pick for Isaiah Stewart and the fifth overall pick of the draft. This would be the cohost of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast, Will Gottlieb, who proposes the Bulls then use that pick to pursue University of Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan or other top prospects in the draft.

Would such a deal make sense for both parties? Could both teams find easier, less costly ways to fill key roles on their rosters moving forward? Or is this a slam dunk of an idea?

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear his take and react.

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Would you trade veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to the Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson and John Collins?

Would it be enough of a return for the oft-injured guard on a substantial contract?

Would you trade veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to the Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson and John Collins? Such a proposal was recently floated by ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks, and in the form he came up with, would send LaVine to Danny Ainge and Co. for Clarkson and Collins with no draft assets or cash.

Collins and Clarkson would immediately fill the voids of a big wing and a more modern big man that Chicago currently lacks, and if it does work out, they each have two years remaining on their tradeable contracts, making flipping them not so onerous.

The hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast took a closer look at the proposed deal, and debated whether it would be enough of a return for the oft-injured guard on a substantial contract.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Could the Utah Jazz be a trade partner for veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine?

We’ve seen some interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, but what about the Jazz?

Could the Utah Jazz be a trade partner for veteran Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine? By now, it is the NBA’s worst-kept secret that the Chicago Bulls are trying their hardest to find a new home for the UCLA alum. And while things have mostly stood still on that front since the start of the 2024 NBA offseason, there has been some traction of late, reportedly.

With word circulating out there that the Bulls have lowered their asking price to acquire LaVine’s considerable contract, we have seen some interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, but what about the Jazz?

To take a closer look at such a possibility and what sort of a return any deal with Utah and their general manager Danny Ainge might entail, the hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, focused on the possibility on a recent episode of their show.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say!

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What a trade for Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers might look like

What might such a deal for the UCLA alum might look like for both sides?

With word out on the street that the potential asking price for teams interested in bringing on Chicago Bulls star guard Zach LaVine has dropped, the rumbles of potentially interested teams has picked up. We previously reported on rubles about the Philadelphia 76ers being among such ball clubs, and now we can add the Los Angeles Lakers to such a list.

And to get the perspective of how fans and analysts of that storied club are looking at a potential LaVine trade, we tracked down a podcast from the folks over at the “Locked on Lakers” pod. On it, hosts Andy and Brian Kamenetzky get into the teeth of what such a deal for the UCLA alum might look like for both sides.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear their take on whether the Lakers ought to pull the trigger on a trade for Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

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Could Bulls’ Zach LaVine be a trade option for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Could Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine be an option for the Philadelphia 76ers through trade?

The Philadelphia 76ers will be in the market for a big name in order to add to their star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as they look to contend in the Eastern Conference. They have all the cap space they need to make sure they get the third star they need.

Philadelphia will be looking at Paul George as its No. 1 target. He will likely enter free agency as he and the Los Angeles Clippers have been unable to agree to a deal and the Sixers are known to have a ton of interest in him.

However, there is also the trade route as Philadelphia has the cap space to absorb any big deal without having to match salary. One option is Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine who has long been a rumored trade option for the Bulls.

NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson stated this little tidbit on LaVine:

I don’t think the Bulls will take an awful deal if little materializes, but I do get the sense they’re open to more possibilities than before. More to the point: I’ve reported before what their asking price was—All-Star level talent, first-round picks or both—and my sense is that it has dropped significantly.

The Bulls have been mired in mediocrity recently as injuries have hampered them and it may be time for Chicago to make changes. The Sixers have the draft picks to call the Bulls and bring LaVine to the City of Brotherly Love.

He averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while playing in only 25 games in the 2023-24 season due to a foot injury. When healthy, LaVine is one of the more explosive athletes in the league and somebody who can score in bunches.

The issue with LaVine is he is not the greatest defender. While he is an obvious scorer and somebody who can make a difference on that end of the floor, he can struggle defensively at times. Maybe a change of scenery will help him in that regard.

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Are the Chicago Bulls lowering their asking price for Zach LaVine?

Rumbles around the NBA media hint that this could very well be going down behind the scenes.

Are the Chicago Bulls lowering their asking price for star guard Zach LaVine? Rumbles around the NBA media hint that this could very well be going down behind the scenes as Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas and the rest of the front office look to revamp the roster after a few disastrous seasons in a row.

With rumors that not just the Philadelphia 76ers having interest in trading for the UCLA alum’s hefty contract, but also the Los Angeles Lakers, we could be inching toward the end of the LaVine era in Chicago in the next few weeks of the 2024 offseason.

The hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast were as excited about the prospect of a major roster reset as fans of the team are for the most part, and put together a clip talking us though what this new development means for the Bulls moving forward.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say!

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Zach LaVine’s ask for the Chicago Bulls has dropped significantly — should the 76ers buy low?

Recent rumbles of a dropping asking price have perked up the ears of opposing fan bases.

It can be easy to slip into an NBA fandom echo chamber in terms of media consumption. But as far as the Chicago Bulls‘ ongoing quest to trade veteran combo guard Zach LaVine to a new team goes, recent rumbles of a dropping asking price have perked up the ears of opposing fan bases.

And one such fan base is that of the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been one of a handful of ball clubs with interest in the UCLA alum’s services. Speaking on a recent episode of the “PHLY Sixers” podcast, the hosts take a closer look at whether it would make sense to trade for LaVine now that his rumored cost has dropped.

They also get into the contours of what such a deal might look like.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about the prospect of trading for LaVine.

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