There is ‘hope’ that Zach LaVine can be lured away from Bulls in free agency

I don’t normally pay much attention to the musings of LaVar Ball, but his pronouncement this week in a podcast interview with David Kaplan that Zach LaVine wants out of Chicago will only amplify what has been whispered by a few interested teams: There is much more hope in circulation than anticipated that LaVine can be lured away from the Bulls in free agency. Although it would almost certainly require a sign-and-trade to actually land LaVine, given that the few teams projected to have salary-cap space this summer are not in the title mix, Mr. Ball — father of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball — has just boldly stated what had been quietly surmised in recent weeks about LaVine potentially chafing from all the praise DeMar DeRozan received this season. It would be a tough outcome for Bulls GM Arturas Karnišovas if LaVine indeed tries to force his way elsewhere after Chicago made three significant trades to acquire Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and DeRozan with the hope of securing LaVine’s long-term commitment.
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Zach LaVine’s free agency, Minnesota vs. Denver, coaching news galore, breaking down bonus checks, KD stuff, Westbrook stuff and one of the most burning questions in today’s NBA … all via my latest freshly published This Week In Baskeball column: marcstein.substack.com/p/one-sizzling… – 12:36 PM

KC Johnson @KCJHoop
The NBA Draft Combine isn’t just a job interview for young players. It’s a gossip gathering for all 30 teams.
And one of the biggest topics this week? Zach LaVine’s future.
Column for @NBCSChicago: nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/… – 11:19 AM

Josh Martin @LonzoWire
Could LaVine leave Chicago for Los Angeles? lonzowire.usatoday.com/lists/lavar-sa… – 7:05 AM

More on this storyline

LaVar Ball on Zach LaVine to Lakers: “He’s gone, and I’m gonna tell you why,” Ball said. “Okay, it started off Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine. Okay, now you get hurt, a few things happen, and guess who’s doing all the big plays? All I hear is DeMar. DeMar, DeMar, DeMar. He don’t want to play second fiddle, and who don’t want to go to L.A.? He want to go back to the West Coast.” -via YouTube / May 19, 2022

Zach LaVine’s return may not be in the bag for the Chicago Bulls as the two-time All-Star approaches unrestricted free agency. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported at the 22:00 mark of his Hoop Collective podcast Tuesday that the initial impression around the NBA was that LaVine was “off the market.” Now, there isn’t as much certainty about him staying in Chicago. Windhorst added that the Portland Trail Blazers have “popped up” as a potential landing spot. -via Bleacher Report / May 10, 2022

In the NBA, it’s rare for long-time friends to get a chance to play on the same team, and it is less likely that, if that does happen, both are star players. But it appears that San Antonio Spurs’ guard Dejounte Murray wants that to become a reality. A couple of days ago, Murray had fans in a frenzy when he tweeted a photoshopped image of Zach LaVine in a Spurs uniform. The image has since been deleted but not before Lavine caught wind of it. According to a Tweet from Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, LaVine stated Murray posting him in a Spurs uniform was him “just messing around.” -via Air Alamo / May 5, 2022