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The Chicago Bulls’ future may get clearer well ahead of the trade deadline.
Amid swirling trade winds around Zach LaVine, the executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas’ preferred deadline plan has now come to light and it is well ahead of the February 8 deadline across the league.
“With the rest of the players who signed offseason deals eligible to be dealt after Jan. 15, Karnisovas ideally will have moved LaVine by or around that date, giving him at least 10 to 15 games to see what the post-LaVine Bulls look like,” wrote Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times on December 13.”
Karnisovas would still have decisions to make on DeMar DeRozan who is in the final year of his contract and Alex Caruso who is one of the more sought-after players on the trade market.
But Cowley’s intel did not end there.
“The Bulls have been linked to the Lakers and Raptors in the rumor mill,” Cowley wrote. “But multiple sources said LaVine and his representation obviously want Los Angeles because of the Klutch Sports connection.”
Klutch Sports is the agency that represents Lakers star LeBron James, started by his long-time friend and business partner, Rich Paul.
LaVine also lives and trains in Los Angeles during the offseason. Speculation ran rampant when the West Coast native told TMZ he had “always been a big fan” of the Lakers during his free agency in 2022.
LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million contract without meeting with any other teams. But trade rumors have followed him even before that.
Karnisovas inherited LaVine, and there have been reports of waning internal belief in him.
“He’s well aware that the Bulls tried to trade him last summer,” wrote NBC Sports Chicago Bulls insider K.C. Johnson on December 7. “He’s also grown tired of the internal debate within the organization on whether he can be a lead player on a championship-contending team.”
January 15 Could be Key Date to Watch for Bulls-Lakers Trade
The Lakers have six players who will become trade-eligible by December 15, the first of two key dates ahead of the deadline on February 8.
“Of that group, a package featuring [D’Angelo] Russell has been thrown around the most in the rumor mill because of the money that has to come back,” Cowley wrote. “The other names being mentioned as possibilities in that package include Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and [Gabe] Vincent.”
Russell and Vincent will both be trade-eligible on December 15. Hachimura and Reaves won’t be until January 15, which could throw a wrench into both team’s plans.
The Lakers also have no interest in trading Reaves amid reports of the Bulls’ interest.
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LaVine has missed the Bulls’ last six games with foot inflammation, and he was not performing up to his standard before going down. Chicago won four straight games without him.
They have since lost back-to-back contests, though.
Bulls Stuck Between Rock & Hard Place
It is unclear if that will speed up the clock on a potential deal. LaVine’s injury makes it unlikely his trade value will increase. And the Bulls have had trouble drumming up a market for the two-time All-Star anyway.
That could mean they are on a collision course with the Lakers on a trade for LaVine.
“The view of several executives was summed up by one personnel advisor this weekend. “It’s going to be LA,’” wrote Matt Moore of Action Network on December 12. “He’s Klutch; they know (D’Angelo Russell) can’t hang for a deep playoff run. No one else is jumping to get LaVine.”
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