Zach LaVine is cementing himself as one of the best pure scorers in basketball, and he has the attention of one particular blue-chip franchise.
Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reported on Saturday that the New York Knicks are eyeing LaVine’s situation with the Chicago Bulls as the trade deadline approaches. Begley adds that the Knicks have had interest in trading for the 25-year-old guard since the summer.
LaVine is averaging 27.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game this season. Those are all career-highs. But Chicago is still 7-10 on the year. They have not won more than 27 games in a season since LaVine arrived in 2017.
The Bulls do have a solid complementary core around LaVine. Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter, and Patrick Williams are all former top-seven picks aged 23 or younger. But the Knicks, currently 9-11, may arguably have a better young foundation with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. Their coach, Tom Thibodeau, also previously coached LaVine on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Knicks would obviously have to fork over some of that talent to even have a shot at LaVine, who is signed through 2022. That may be why they are looking into this far less expensive backcourt option as well.
