Bulls could send Zach LaVine to unlikely team?
Dec 7, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) warms up before an NBA game against the Washington Wizards at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Zach LaVine may somehow end up going from a bad basketball situation to an even worse one.
James Edwards III of The Athletic reported Thursday that the Chicago Bulls have had discussions with the Detroit Pistons about a possible LaVine trade. Edwards adds that the Bulls appear “locked in” on a package of forward Bojan Bogdanovic and one of the Pistons’ “blue-chippers” for LaVine.
The small-market Pistons, who are a league-worst 5-39 this season, are probably the least desirable landing spot in the NBA right now. But they surprisingly want to be buyers ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline and certainly have the cap space to absorb a major contract in a trade.
While Bulls have seemingly been trying to move the 28-year-old ex-All-Star LaVine for months now, they are hampered by the fact that the money owed to LaVine (who is in the second year of a five-year, $215.2 million max deal) is a serious turn-off for teams. We heard a harsh assessment of LaVine’s trade market several weeks ago, so Chicago may not have much more to choose from other than working with the division rival Pistons.
