The start to the 2023-24 NBA season has gone about as poorly as it could for the Chicago Bulls. After once again deciding that running it back was a better path forward than trying to rebuilt, Chicago has gotten off to a 4-7 start to the regular season, are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture at this early point in the year, and just have this malaise around them that makes it seem like there isn’t any real reason for optimism.
Considering that Chicago is, essentially, built around three veteran players in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and the recently-extended Nikola Vucevic, that’s not exactly a great place to be. But according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Bulls might be moving towards trying to break that core up, as he brings word that both the team and LaVine are more and more open to the idea of pulling off a trade.
NBA teams are probing the availability of two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine and there’s been increased openness from the organization and player about exploring a trade, league sources said.
Charania noted that NBA teams have executives in Chicago for the Champions Classic, a college basketball event that features four of the highest-profile teams in the country (Michigan State, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky). It’s obviously not a guarantee that this leads to a LaVine trade, but it’s an opportunity for the Bulls to gauge what they could potentially get back if he hit the trade market.
LaVine is in the second year of a 5-year, $215 million extension that features a player option ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 28-year-old guard has struggled to start the year, as he’s averaging 21.9 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.9 percent from three.