The Chicago Bulls have been desperately trying to find Zach LaVine a new home. The 29-year-old shooting guard no longer fits in the plans in Chicago but his contract structure and injury history have made it extremely challenging for the Bulls to trade him.
Current price:Because of the fact that LaVine makes $41 million for next season, it’s hard to find a matching salary for him in a trade. As good of an offensive player as LaVine is, he had a disappointing year in 2023-24 and missed most of the season. Plus, he comes with significant defensive questions. Therefore, it is understandable that teams are unwilling to give up assets for the chance to overpay LaVine.
That is why the Los Angeles Clippers were seen as the perfect suitor. They have PJ Tucker, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann that they can include in a package and get up to LaVine’s salary. There have been recent rumors that the Clippers might be interested after the departure of Paul George. It turns out, however, that those reports may be unsubstantiated.
This pushes Chicago back to square one. Now that the free agency craze and the peak of trade season is over, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the Bulls will be able to find LaVine a new home.
That creates an untenable situation in Chicago. LaVine reporting to training camp after all of this trade speculation and rumors about his strained relationship with head coach Billy Donovan and the organization would be unsustainable. However, if the Clippers are not interested, the Bulls may not have another chance.
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