It’s the kind of scenario you could easily run through the NBA rumor mill these days: The Warriors, after beating the Bulls 140-131 on Friday night, take guard Zach LaVine with them and leave four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson to play in Chicago.
Big salary for big salary. Headache of a contract for fading star on an expiring deal.
But reality says otherwise for LaVine’s services — especially after a game in which Thompson outplayed him, scoring a team-high 30 points for the Warriors, including 7-for-15 from three-point range.
The Warriors, Kings, Hawks and Lakers are all rumored to be destinations for LaVine before the trade deadline Feb. 8. Sources, however, continue to say there’s no uptick in interest for the Bulls’ two-time All-Star guard.
And the clock is ticking. The Bulls only play 12 more games before the deadline — perhaps not enough time to change minds as they hope for a partner to emerge.
Coach Billy Donovan said he hasn’t had an in-depth conversation with Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations, about the latest discussions Karnisovas might be having with other teams.
“Having all of last year, having what’s going to end up being close to 50 games [this season], there’s a pretty big sample size of our group that I feel like [the front office and other teams have] evaluated,” Donovan said. “They haven’t told me, ‘Hey listen, we’re going to really keep a close eye on these next 10 or 12 games.’ I’m totally speculating, but I’m sure they have looked at the group and the way it’s grown and evolved.”
After LaVine missed more than a month with a foot injury, guard Coby White is now playing at a high level as the Bulls integrate LaVine back into the mix. Friday’s game against the Warriors was his fourth since returning. LaVine finished with 25 points in just over 35 minutes, with seven assists and eight rebounds. White nearly matched him with 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds, and forward DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with a game-high 39 points.
“Different guys have kind of flowered,” Donovan said. “Coby has improved, Ayo [Dosunmu] has gotten better. Patrick [Williams] has kind of played better. I think [the front office is] looking at the information that they’ve gathered over a period of time. . . . They’re always great communicators, but I think there will be a time where they’ll come to me and say, ‘Listen, we’re getting close to this,’ or, ‘This is what we’re looking at.’
“I always kind of envision that this is going to be our team the rest of the year. That’s how I approach it.”
Fans might fear that possibility. Between now and the deadline, the Bulls (18-22) aren’t playing a tough schedule — winnable games against the Raptors and the shorthanded Grizzlies (twice), as well as the Spurs, Trail Blazers and Hornets.
Karnisovas steered the ship in the stale direction of “continuity” before last season, then kept it going at last year’s trade deadline.
There’s much more at stake now.
If the Bulls can’t move LaVine, now, they’d have to revisit it in the offseason. So, what happens to DeRozan and his expiring deal between now and then? It will be a PR nightmare if Karnisovas stands pat next month, then still tries to beat the “continuity” drum into next season by extending DeRozan rather than letting him walk for nothing.
