The New York Knicks touched base with the Chicago Bulls about a potential trade for two-time All-Star wing Zach LaVine, according to a report from The Athletic.
“Other All-Stars have trickled in and out of the rumor mill over the years, including this summer. New York made contact with the Chicago Bulls about their shooting guard, Zach LaVine, but the asking price for the two-time All-Star was “giant,” as one league source told The Athletic, which is exactly why LaVine remains in Chicago. The Knicks and Bulls, according to league sources, never got close,” The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported on Thursday.
LaVine’s price tag is more expensive than what the Phoenix Suns paid for Washington Wizards’ star Bradley Beal, NBC Sports’ Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported on June 20.
“The Bulls, according to league sources, are valuing LaVine highly, as they should. He’s a two-time All-Star who is coming off a season in which he overcame a slow start to average 24.8 points per game on a true shooting percentage of 60.7 percent.
One league source said the Bulls would be focused on getting a good young player, multiple first-round picks and salary filler if they decide to trade LaVine. Another said one first-round pick and an established, high-end player might be sufficiently intriguing,” Johnson wrote.
Because of his no-trade clause, Beal went only for four future first-round pick swaps, six second-round picks, and the expiring salaries of Chris Paul and Landry Shamet.
Zach LaVine Avoids Knicks Trade Question
LaVine evaded the question about the Knicks on Broadcast Boys show at the MLB Celebrity Softball Game on July 9.
“Awww, man! Talk to Donovan [Mitchell],” LaVine replied, referring to the Cleveland Cavaliers star who was the next guest after him.
LaVine’s future in Chicago is the subject of speculation this summer after Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported on June 15 that the Bulls are quietly calling a select group of teams to gauge trade interest involving the two-time All-Star.
Knicks Insider Pumps the Breaks on Joel Embiid Rumors
SNY’s Knicks insider Ian Begley reported on Wednesday that Joel Embiid and Sixers team president Daryl Morey had a conversation in the wake of the reigning MVP’s now-viral comments about competing for a championship “whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else” at The UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival last week.
“One theme of the conversation, per people familiar with the matter: Embiid wants to be in Philly and win in Philly. Both team and player envision Embiid on a Derek Jeter-type trajectory: remaining as the face of his franchise until he retires,” Begley wrote.
Multiple national reporters have linked the Knicks as a potential Embiid suitor in case the Sixers superstar demands a trade.
Embiid’s future in Philadelphia became the subject of speculation after his co-star James Harden requested a trade following the Sixers’ second-round exit in the playoffs — their fourth in the last five seasons.
He fanned those speculations in a July 13 interview with Maverick Carter.
“I just want to win a championship, whatever it takes,” Embiid told Carter. “I don’t know where that’s going to be — whether in Philly or anywhere else — I just want to have a chance to accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one, and then you think about the next one. It’s not easy. It takes more than one, two, three guys. You got to have good people around you. Every single day, I work hard to be at that level so I can produce and make it happen. Every single day I’m working towards that goal.”
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Knicks Made Contact With Bulls About Potential Trade: Report