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There will be no Zach LaVine–Tom Thibodeau reunion in New York.
Bulls insider K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago revealed that the Knicks are not interested in trading for the two-time All-Star wing, who played for one season under Thibodeau in Minnesota.
“League sources have previously told NBC Sports Chicago that the New York Knicks, another rumored landing spot for LaVine, have never seriously engaged or shown interest. Same goes, at least for now, for the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat,” Johnson wrote.
The Bulls are having a hard time creating a market for the injured LaVine, who is out until January to treat his current right foot inflammation.
The Knicks, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 13-10 record entering December 15 games, are well-positioned to trade for a star. But Leon Rose and his front office have been patient, waiting for the right star to cash in their deep draft capital.
The Knicks have eight tradable picks, plus young players such as Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, and the expiring salary of Evan Fournier.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Bulls’ asking price for LaVine remain steep.
“The Bulls are still searching for the type of haul that a multi-time All-Star typically draws, which LaVine certainly is based on résumé: an established starter, plus a young player with upside and then first-round draft capital, according to league sources,” Fischer wrote.
No one is biting, including the star-starved Knicks.
Zach LaVine Credits Tom Thibodeau for His Breakout Year
Not even LaVine’s relationship with Thibodeau could sway the Knicks to look at the high-flying wing.
LaVine credited the current Knicks coach for his breakout in the NBA during their lone season together.
“Look, I understand the business of basketball,’’ LaVine told the Chicago-Sun Times months before the Knicks hired Thibodeau in 2020. “Yeah, he traded me, but for that one season he did coach me, he gave me an opportunity. He put the ball in the hands of a 20, 21-year-old kid and said, ‘Go hoop.’ That’s bigger than the business of basketball.”
When Knicks hired Thibodeau, LaVine once again praised his former coach.
‘‘[His] style works,’’ LaVine told Chicago-Sun Times then. ‘‘He’s not a beat-around-the-bush type of guy. . . . Once you buy into his coaching, I mean, look at the track record. It’s pretty damn good.’’
But while Thibodeau gave LaVine his first shot at stardom, he was also the first one to send him packing for Chicago in exchange for Jimmy Butler after their lone season together.
Ex-Knicks GM Not Sold on Zach LaVine as Winning Player
Former Knicks general manager Scott Perry perhaps revealed why Rose has no interest in LaVine.
“When I hear a guy’s name like that first, I study the player himself,” Perry said on the Hoop Genius podcast. “No question that Zach LaVine can score the basketball. He has proven that in his nine years in the NBA. He shot the ball well. He’s a career 38% three-point shooter and explosive athlete. The next thing that I look at is, does he impact winning?”
LaVine has only been in the playoffs once, getting swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2021-22 season. He averaged 19.3 points on 43% from the field and 38% from 3-point distance, 6.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds in his lone playoff appearance.
“He’s played a total of four playoff basketball games,” Perry pointed out. “So now, I say to myself I’m looking at paying 40 [million] this year, 43, 46 and 49 million in subsequent years for a guy who to this point has not impacted winning to the level that his money says he should impact. So, there’s not a real match there, in my opinion.”
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