Zach LaVine makes major promise to Bulls young guns amid uncertainties
Last season, Zach LaVine was a player frequently mentioned in trade rumors. While his future with the Chicago Bulls may be uncertain, he plans to work alongside the team's young players.
This offseason, the Bulls seem to be embracing a youth movement. They traded Alex Caruso for a former lottery pick in Josh Giddey and allowed veterans DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond to depart in free agency.
In a recent column, Bulls insider Darnell Mayberry provided updates on Zach LaVine and the organization. LaVine has attended all pre-training camp events and stated that he won't get in the way of developing the younger players.
"Now, there are legitimate questions of how LaVine fits on a team with young talent emerging. But in offseason conversations with Bulls leadership, including coach Billy Donovan, LaVine has vowed not to overstep or stunt the development of younger players, according to a team source."
Among the main players the Bulls will try to develop is Coby White. After LaVine suffered a season-ending injury, the young guard was given a much larger opportunity in the offense. White went on to finish the year averaging a career-high 19.1 points and was the runner-up for Most Improved Player behind Tyrese Maxey.
Chicago Will also be trying to see what they have in Giddey. The structure of the OKC Thunder hindered him at times, but now he'll have an opportunity to be the full-time point guard with the Bulls.
Chicago Bulls still trying to find a trade partner for Zach LaVine
After getting season-ending surgery at the start of February, the Chicago Bulls had to shelve any trade talks involving Zach Lavine. That said, it appears the front office is still trying to work out a deal for the two-time All-Star.
Darnell Mayberry reported Chicago is exploring LaVine trades, but teams are asking for too much compensation in return.
"Trade talks have long included LaVine’s name, and the Bulls aggressively tried finding a trade partner this summer. But rival teams wanted additional compensation for taking on LaVine, and the Bulls refused to attach additional resources to move him."
When healthy, LaVine is still a high-level guard in the NBA. In 2023, he averaged 24.8 points and 4.2 assists while shooting close to 38% from beyond the arc. Last season was a down year for him, averaging his lowest points per game total (19.5) since his first year in Chicago back in 2018 (16.7).
The primary roadblock with any Zach LaVine trade is his contract. He still has three years left on his current deal and is set to make between $43-$48 million a year. While he is an All-Star caliber player, this is still a hefty price tag to take on for a player coming off injury. Because of this, Chicago might have a hard time facilitating a trade without adding assets to this massive contract.