Bulls reportedly open to trade inquiries on All-Star Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine’s time in Chicago might be nearing its end.

Teams around the NBA are inquiring about the availability of the All-Star guard as there’s been “increased openness” from both parties exploring a trade, The Athletic reported Tuesday.

The Bulls‘ reported willingness to move LaVine comes as the team has gotten off to a disappointing start to the 2023-24 season. They’re 4-7 and have lost six of their last eight games, putting them in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The frustrations in Chicago reportedly began following the team’s opening-night loss to the Thunder with a player-only meeting taking place following the game. Center Nikola Vucevic was among the players frustrated, feeling the team’s offense didn’t change much from last season, when they ranked 22nd in points per game and 24th in offensive rating, according to The Athletic. The Bulls are 22nd in points per game (109.8) and 20th in offensive rating (110.3) so far this season.

LaVine’s shooting woes are among the key reasons why Chicago hasn’t been able to turn the page offensively this season. He’s shooting 40.8% from the field and a career-low 30.9% from 3-point territory. His scoring (21.9 points per game) is also the lowest it has been since his first season with the team in 2017-18, when he played just 24 games.

Prior to his shooting woes in the early part of this season, LaVine had been playing the best basketball of his career. He averaged a career-high 27.4 points per game in the 2020-21 season and put up 24.4 points per game in the following year, earning All-Stars nods in both seasons. In 2021-22, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan helped the Bulls get off to a 39-21 start as they held one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

However, Chicago began to deal with injuries later that year, with Lonzo Ball being the most notable among them. The point guard missed the end of that season, causing the Bulls to fall in the standings before a first-round playoff exit. Ball also missed all of last season, when the Bulls were eliminated in the play-in tournament, and will miss all of this year as well.

LaVine is currently in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract he signed following the 2021-22 season. It’s currently unknown which teams would be interested in trading for LaVine.

In addition to possibly trading LaVine, the Bulls have had extension discussions with DeRozan, but the star wing wants to value the direction of the team before making a long-term decision, The Athletic reported. The 34-year-old is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed in 2021.

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