At some point the Chicago Bulls will need to make a decision about what the future holds. And one of the biggest inflection points in that calculus will be what to do with All-Star guard Zach LaVine.
When LaVine joined the Bulls in 2017, he helped launch a new era for the club. Alongside the likes of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls were slated to compete right alongside the best clubs in the East. Injuries, an awkward fit, and limited defense have created a hard cap on what Chicago has been able to accomplish as presently constructed, however, and there is reasonable speculation that change is imminent. A LaVine trade could be the biggest path to reorient the franchise in a meaningful way.
The 2023 offseason has seen whispers that the team may be inquiring about moving LaVine. There’s also speculation that LaVine himself could seek to make a change as well. According to a new report, however, Chicago’s current asking price for any potential deal remains quite high.
According to the Athletic’s Fred Katz, the New York Knicks reached out to the Bulls about a possible deal. Katz said the conversation never picked up much steam, though, in part because Chicago’s asking price was “giant.”
That could signal the Bulls would only move LaVine for an All-Star of some description. The club has been linked to the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers, two clubs looking to move off of superstar talent. Perhaps Chicago believes it can replace LaVine with one of the league’s best players.
The Knicks do have plenty of talent, and made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2023. But because New York is also looking to make a deeper postseason splash, odds are any package offered would be centered around role players and draft picks. For now, it would appear that isn’t what Chicago is after.
