Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine has seen his name pop up in trade speculation incessantly over the last year or so, but he probably shouldn't be too surprised given all of the chatter about his supposed discontent in the Windy City.
This has led to many believing that the Bulls will ultimately move LaVine this offseason, but it may not be such a sure thing.
Evidently, Chicago and LaVine are going to try to work things out this summer, which could mean the Bulls will run the experiment at least until next year's trade deadline. It should be noted, though, that Chicago's asking price for LaVine in a potential trade has dropped significantly, via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
The Bulls are also apparently “open to more possibilities than before,” notes Johnson. This could mean that Chicago won't be as steadfast against trading LaVine if a satisfactory package comes along. The Bulls had previously been requesting All-Star level, first-round picks or both in return for the 29-year-old.
How much is Zach LaVine really worth in a trade for the Bulls?
Here's the thing with LaVine: he is very talented and posts good numbers, but we don't have a whole lot of evidence to suggest that he makes the players around him better. That has been made obvious by the fact that the Bulls have registered just one winning season since LaVine arrived for the 2017-18 campaign.
Not only that, but LaVine is very injury prone and actually underwent season-ending foot surgery back in February. He has played 70 games just once over the last eight years and has participated in under 50 contests four times throughout that span.
Plus, LaVine isn't that young anymore. He certainly isn't old at 29, but he isn't young enough where a team can prepare to build around him for the next five years, particularly given his knee issues.
When healthy, LaVine is a terrific scorer. He averaged in the neighborhood of 25 points per game each season between 2018-19 and 2022-23, topping out at 27.4 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign. He also recorded a terrific true-shooting percentage of 63.4 percent that year.
This past year, however, LaVine's production slipped considerably, as he tallied just 19.5 points over 34.9 minutes per game in the 25 games he played. His true-shooting percentage dipped to a much more modest 57.8 percent, and he logged just .080 win shares per 48 minutes.
LaVine has also never been known as much of a defender, so if his scoring and efficiency continues to dip, his trade value will with it.
Taking all of those factors into consideration, it's no wonder why the Bulls now seem more amenable to moving him for a lesser return.
The Los Angeles Lakers were mentioned as a potential destination for LaVine in the lead-up to the trade deadline this past season, but that report was shot down by ESPN's Dave McMenamin. You also have to think that LaVine's foot injury may have had something to do with the Lakers backing off.
LaVine is coming off of surgery and could be on a bit of a decline, so it would be tough for Chicago to find significant value for him on the trade market this summer.
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