Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
A predominant theme following the Chicago Bulls‘ acquisition of dynamic young guard Josh Giddey is that he needs to be surrounded by shooting and athleticism to fully utilize his strengths and limit his weaknesses.
If only the Bulls had a two-time All-Star guard on their roster who is a two-time Slam Dunk Champion and a career 38 percent high-volume 3-point shooter. . . Oh wait, they do.
His name is Zach LaVine. And just two years ago, the relationship with the Bulls and LaVine was in full bloom, with him having just signed a five-year, $215 million max contract extension.
LaVine had recently earned his second consecutive All-Star appearance and was less than a year away from receiving praise from everyone from Kevin Durant to Gregg Popovich for his role on the United States Olympic team that won the gold medal in Tokyo. The future seemed limitless.
Instead, the Bulls and LaVine failed to make the playoffs the next two seasons. And LaVine played below lofty expectations of him at the start of the 2023-24 season before succumbing to foot surgery after just 25 games.
It’s well documented that the Bulls are actively shopping LaVine, who has three seasons and roughly $138 million left on his contract. To this point, his market has been limited, a byproduct of his expensive settlement versus a more punitive collective bargaining agreement, his surgery on two knees and a foot and lingering doubts about his ability to impact wins.
Never mind the widespread praise he received from his Olympic colleagues. Or the fact that he played through a knee injury that required an arthroscopic procedure in the off-season to help the Bulls qualify for the 2022 NBA Playoffs. With just one playoff series in 10 NBA seasons, LaVine You can’t get rid of those questions.
But what if the Bulls ultimately can’t find a suitable trade for LaVine? His shooting ability and scoring efficiency absolutely fit with Giddey and other young talents like Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams. White and LaVine are the only remaining vestiges of the roster that this current management regime inherited in 2020.
Without a doubt, the relationship between the Bulls and LaVine, 29, would need rehabilitation. For months, the relationship has seemed as if it had run its course, headed toward divorce.
But for an organization that has held onto its assets until they depreciate, keeping LaVine and allowing him to rehabilitate his value, play well alongside Giddey and White or both is not out of the question.
The Bulls have engaged in multiple trade talks centered around LaVine dating back to last offseason. This privately bothered LaVine.
When the 2023-24 season started poorly, both the Bulls and LaVine’s representation agreed to be open to trying to find LaVine a new home. But KeynoteUSA Sports Chicago reported in February that LaVine never specifically asked to be traded.
However, the Bulls committed to the Detroit Pistons before the February 8 trade deadline but gained little traction in moving LaVine.
“There are many things that don’t bother me. My name has been circulating more than once since the beginning of my career until now. If I let people’s opinions bother me or influence me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So I go out there and keep doing it,” LaVine said in Los Angeles in March. “I haven’t really talked to anyone, but we’ll keep moving forward.
“My main goal is to help the guys play and be myself. When I’m on the court, I know I have an impact most of the time offensively, but also defensively.”
The Bulls said in February that LaVine would be sidelined for four to six months following his foot surgery. But LaVine, who sought a second opinion before his foot surgery, said in March that he was “a little ahead of schedule” and that he just needed to let the soft tissue around a tendon heal.
The Bulls, by all indications, remain motivated to trade LaVine. But remember: Before last season went off the rails, LaVine was viewed as the bridge between the older core of DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic and the younger core led by White, Williams and Dosunmu.
Add Giddey to that mix.
“It’s not hard to fit back in, especially the way I play and I want to go out and help,” LaVine said in March. “You never want to get hurt, but it’s not hard to see you out there again.”
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