It has been a wild NBA offseason so far, but it can create louder noises if the Chicago Bulls find a way to let go of Zach LaVine. That will have to be via a trade, as LaVine is still under contract for at least the next two seasons, with a player option worth $48.96 million for the 2026-27 campaign.
At this point, it's no longer a secret that the Bulls want to trade LaVine. It's just a matter of finding a partner that will satisfy their demand in exchange for the two-time NBA All-Star shooting guard.
Are the Warriors still interested in Zach LaVine?
The Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that were recently mentioned by Bulls insider KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that are still entertaining thoughts of trading for Zach LaVine. The Warriors have just lost Klay Thompson via a three-team trade with the Dallas Mavericks that also involved the Charlotte Hornets, so LaVine could be a guy the Dubs pursue as a replacement for what they have lost on the perimeter with Thompson's departure.
“I've been led to believe that there are two teams that are still at least having conversations with glimmer of hope, however you want to phrase it. I don't want to be aggregated poorly. I'm just, I'm grasping for the best way to phrase it myself. What I will say is I've written the Kings and Warriors and I think those two teams, you know, the Warriors obviously are going through significant changes with Klay Thompson's likely imminent departure or I guess definite imminent departure since he's told the Warriors he's not coming back. And obviously Chris Paul was waived, said Johnson during an appearance on Bulls Talk Podcast.
However, it is also known that the Warriors have rejected a Bulls trade offer that features LaVine just before Golden State decided to waive Chris Paul and let go of Thompson. Perhaps, the Warriors are still not completely closing the door on LaVine, but it gets harder to imagine that such a trade would happen now that Golden State has lost Paul, who could have been a bargaining chip for the Dubs.
The Kings still keeping an eye on LaVine?
The Kings, on the other hand, have also been busy this offseason. They can still make a huge splash by trading for a player like LaVine, with Johnson floating the names up of Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter as a possible package Sacramento could offer the Bulls. For what it's worth, the Kings tried to acquire Zach LaVine back in 2018 when they put an $80 million offer on the table only for the Bulls to match it.
“And then the Kings just always seem to pop up in conversation. And I know when Malik Monk signed there, it looked like there wasn't a landing spot for Zach there, but Harrison Barnes-Kevin Huerter package seems like it's available for a lot of different scenarios. Brandon Ingram would be another one.”
It just seems that LaVine isn't an appealing name at the moment for teams out there and the Bulls don't have much of a leverage. Apart from the large money remaining in the former UCLA Bruins star's contract, he is also coming off a foot surgery last February that ended his 2023-24 NBA season.
A first-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves back in the 2014 NBA Draft, LaVine played in only 25 games last season and averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
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