Analyst Doubles Down on Trade Intel for Bulls Star Zach LaVine

A particularly strange trend has taken root as the Chicago Bulls struggle to maintain relevancy amid Lonzo Ball’s continuing injury saga. Specifically, the team’s cornerstone player isn’t having quite the impact he once did.

His efficiency may be down a touch compared to years past, but Zach LaVine has continued to play at an All-Star level, averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. And yet, Chicago has been outscored by 2.5 points per 100 possessions when he has been on the court this season.

For frame of reference, only youngsters Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams have been worse among major minute-getters.

Between that and his knee issues, some have begun to wonder whether the Bulls might be better off hitching their wagon to a new horse, even as LaVine is fresh off of inking a five-year, $215 million pact to remain in the Windy City.

That said, there’s significant doubt that Bulls brass are living on a similar wavelength, their squad’s 11-15 start notwithstanding.

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B/R Not Buying Any LaVine Trade Chatter

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently held court on all things New York Knicks, discussing — among other things — the team’s reported interest in making a trade swing for LaVine. In doing so, though, he threw cold water on the notion that the two-time All-Star could be headed to the Big Apple… or anywhere else.

“Is Zach LaVine a player who before the trade deadline possibly could become available? He certainly isn’t now,” Wojnarowski declared.

Flash forward to now and Bleacher Report‘s Greg Swartz has similarly opined that “regardless of Chicago’s path, LaVine should continue to be unavailable in trade talks.”

Said Swartz: “Chicago would almost certainly shop older vets on shorter deals like DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond first, pitching LaVine on a reset next year that hopefully features a healthy Ball and a top 2023 draft pick.”

LaVine’s knee issues notwithstanding, he’s still an elite-level scorer who, at only 27 years old, is also locked into a long-term deal. That’s not the kind of thing a team should just give away, even if we’re talking about a Chicago team that’s going through a rough patch. And even as others are advocating blowing the current team up.

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LaVine Wants No Part of Load Management

In other LaVine-related news, there was some question about whether the Bulls star would be allowed to participate in his team’s Sunday bout with the Atlanta Hawks. When asked about the possibility of sitting out before the game, though, he pushed back on the very concept. He went on to score 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting in 39 minutes on the court.

He also committed seven turnovers and drew the ire of Bulls Twitter after the overtime loss, but I digress.

As LaVine sees it, playing in every game is the best way for him to get back to the level that the Chi-Town faithful have become accustomed to seeing from him.

“It’s just the whole game, how your body feels,” he said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I’m a rhythm player, always have been. And getting in that rhythm, that timing, it’s something big… I’m talented enough to find it throughout the game, but consistently, one through four quarters feeling good and timing, rhythm, it’s felt good the last couple weeks and [I] just want to keep it going.”

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