NBA Rumors: Bulls' price tag for Zach Lavine forces Knicks to drop him as trade target
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine's name seems to have fallen out of trade talks in discussions with the New York Knicks. Although a potential deal was a ways off from the sounds of things, the Bulls' asking price was the nail in the coffin for the Knicks.
According to a report from Fred Katz of The Athletic, New York had "made contact" with the Bulls regarding a trade for LaVine. As it turns out, however, the Chicago front office duo of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley has a high asking price for the two-time All-Star.
Knicks "made contact" with Bulls regarding a Zach LaVine trade but the asking price was “giant,” per @FredKatz pic.twitter.com/JFSR44JYTD
Given that the Knicks have backed out of trade talks, they now face two options. They could either decide to pursue a big trade for another superstar or wait until the season starts to make a move mid-season. On the flip side, for Chicago, it seems as though the Windy City franchise is content with the roster it has.
Looking at the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks' rosters amid a busy offseason
This offseason, both the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks have made some notable moves.
In the case of Chicago, the team has retained its two most notable free agents, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White.
In addition, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley made a big free-agency signing in Jevon Carter, adding a two-way threat to the roster. With two young rookies joining the team, as well as sophomore Dalen Terry, the franchise seems intent to roll into the season with the group it has.
However, standout guard Lonzo Ball is expected to miss the entirety of the year after undergoing a cartilage transplant. The procedure, which is incredibly rare, has proven impossible for other players to successfully return from.
In 2013, NBA superstar Jason Richardson underwent a cartilage transplant on his knee. After missing two seasons, Richardson played just 19 games before calling it a career. In the case of Ball, the young guard is hoping to make a return next season.
On the flip side, the New York Knicks managed to acquire Donte DiVincenzo, who most recently played with the Golden State Warriors. The two-way standout won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but most recently averaged 26.3 minutes per game in Golden State. He averaged a career-high 39.7% from 3-point range, improving his value on the market.
As Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently told the NY Post after DiVincenzo parted ways with the team for the Knicks, the 26-year-old will fit right in:
“Love Donte. Plays with so much energy and passion every night. He’s just tough. He competes every possession, gets into the ball-handler, flies all over the court, great rebounder flying in from the weak side.
"Shot it really well for us last year. Combo guard, makes plays, but can play off the ball, too. Really good all-around player.”