The Chicago Bulls would still like to trade Zach LaVine.
The two sides have set aside the differences that have emerged in recent seasons – LaVine’s friction with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and management’s dissatisfaction with the two-time All-Star undergoing season-ending foot surgery in 2023-24 – to help their cause.
For LaVine, that has meant showing he is healthy after that surgery, which he did in the preseason. He also needs to show he can be a team player.
To that end, LaVine’s message on the upcoming campaign is an encouraging sign.
LaVine, the No. 13 overall pick of the 2014 draft, took to Instagram to make the new campaign. He used few words, simply noting that he was entering his 11th NBA campaign with his post on October 20. But he also included a lock emoji, signaling he is locked in for the season.
LaVine has used the “Year 11” portion of his caption on other occasions this offseason.
Adding a lock emoji might seem minor. But LaVine’s play and demeanor are under the microscope as the 2024-25 season begins.
Zach LaVine Helping Bulls With Positive Attitude
“Guard Zach LaVine has shown signs of looking more like the All-Star he was in 2021 and 2022 than the guy who seemed disgruntled with his situation and coach Billy Donovan last season, and that’s a great sign,” The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley wrote on October 21. “Trading him with three years and $138 million left on his contract will be hard enough for the Bulls; they don’t need him to be pouty, too.”
Teams are not likely to be persuaded by otherwise innocuous social media posts.
Still, the sentiments LaVine expressed in the post match his tone on media day when he opened by professing his buy-in to the team this season.
Notably, LaVine has never been described as a bad teammate. Instead, his issues with Donovan have revolved around his usage. His persistent presence in trade speculation seemingly left him at odds with the front office.
But LaVine attempted to quell any negativity on media day.
“I think going forward, the best way to handle a lot of this stuff is I’m in a great situation, a great head space, I’m fully healthy right now – which I don’t take for granted,” LaVine told reporters on September 30. “Anything negative that’ll try to pin me, the organization, the rumors, drama, whatever it is. I leave that in the past.”
Again, LaVine’s focus is a good thing for the Bulls.
“If LaVine can play well in November and December, it would take only one desperate team to take him off the Bulls’ hands,” Cowley wrote.
Bulls Could Have Limited Trade Options
LaVine’s salary remains the Bulls’ biggest hurdle to finding a trade partner now that the regular season has begun. Most rosters have been set with 15 players following the October 21 deadline.
However, LaVine’s high salary makes finding a 1-for-1 match who is available limits the pool of options. This is on top of the restrictions under the CBA for teams in the luxury tax.
And the Bulls have one player – Talen Horton-Tucker – who is on a non-guaranteed contract.
That means they would have to carry dead money on their books if forced to waive players in a 1-for-more trade. A trade of that caliber is typically better suited for the offseason when rosters are expanded.
That does not mean speculation will cease or that the Bulls will not finally find a new home for LaVine in a trade.
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Zach LaVine Shares Timely Message on Season Amid Bulls’ Trade Plans