If there has been one certainty to take from the last month, it’s that Zach LaVine was as good as gone, and he’d played his final game for the Chicago Bulls. This was before Alex Caruso had been dealt, or rumors of the Bulls potentially trading up in the 2024 NBA Draft had surfaced. As Chicago’s fanbase knows all too well, nothing is promised until the pen hits the paper with Arturas Karnisovas and this front office. Now they’re contemplating walking back on the aggressiveness of sending LaVine out of the franchise, or at least K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago thinks they might, purely due to what has transpired over the last week. What changed the minds of the leaders in the clubhouse, and are Bulls fans going to have to suffer through more years of an injury-plagued, overpaid former All-Star?
The addition of Josh Giddey brings a true point guard to Chicago for the first time since Lonzo Ball was on the court, and the Bulls were the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference. Since his injury, Karnisovas’s group has failed many experiments at the position while awaiting Ball’s return to action. Following two back-to-back seasons falling short of playoff contention, they’ve traded their top asset, Alex Caruso, for a 21-year-old franchise point guard. Not only were the latest seasons with a solidified point guard some of the best in recent Bulls’ memory, but they also featured two All-Star nods and the lone career playoff appearance for LaVine. Despite numerous reports that he is being heavily dangled in trade talks due to a lowly last few seasons riddled with injuries and inconsistent play, does he deserve another shot with a legitimate distributor next to him?
Can LaVine return to his former self after the endless scrutiny over his lucrative contract, which he’s yet to perform worthy of, several injuries, and chemistry rifts between him and the Bulls’ organization? That’s a gamble much of Chicago’s following does not want to take; having seen LaVine’s career unfold over the last seven seasons, his time has run its’ course in the Windy City.
Theoretically, pairing LaVine’s skillset with the fact that Chicago must surround its newest facilitator with three-point shooting and scoring talents makes sense. However, whether either side is comfortable continuing a relationship that both ends have tried to get out of in the past is unknown. Near last year’s trade deadline, LaVine specified several destinations to which he would like to be traded. Karnisovas reported earlier this summer that he’s offered LaVine’s services in at least 15 attempted transactions. It doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship where both the player and the organization want to continue.
Offensively, LaVine’s game fits perfectly next to their 21-year-old point guard. It’ll be tough to play the two side-by-side defensively, though, as neither one is a great perimeter defender. Much like Oklahoma City struggled with last postseason, the Bulls will have fits guarding the current explosive generation of NBA guards.
Wednesday night’s draft selection or any potential trades will unveil several answers with Chicago’s roster. If they opt for a rebuilding phase, LaVine’s contract at 29 years old does not belong, and he will suit up elsewhere this fall.
