On Tuesday night, Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls took a dominant 127-109 win over the hapless Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. LaVine took a bit of a backseat on the night, finishing with just 18 points, but the Wizards fans in attendance still deemed it fit to rattle arguably the Bulls’ best player however they can. In the middle of that game, the subject of LaVine potentially being traded was breached by a fan sitting courtside — with the fan hounding the Bulls star with questions regarding a potential trade, perhaps to the Los Angeles Lakers.
LaVine, however, appears to have heard these questions plenty of times, as he had a quick response ready to be deployed. The Bulls star answered the fan with no hesitation, saying that he is well and truly content with his current situation in the Windy City.
“I signed here, brother. I love Chicago,” LaVine said as he made his way down the other end of the court, via Ross Pins of Swish Theory.
Indeed, LaVine wouldn’t commit a considerable portion of his future to the Bulls franchise if he didn’t have an affinity for the city of Chicago. Back in 2022, LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million deal to stick around long-term with the Bulls, although his contract does have a player option for the 2026-27 season.
Alas, the Bulls have begun embracing the rebuilding process, and LaVine has been on the trade block for quite a while now. The problem the Bulls have run into when it comes to their attempts in trading away have been the fact that he was injured for a good chunk of last season and that other teams are wary of the kind of production he’ll be giving when he’s going to take up a huge portion of their salary cap.
In the end, LaVine may love the city of Chicago as well as the Bulls franchise, but his long-term future with the team does not depend on his preferences, as it remains likely for him to change teams within the next few months.
Will the Lakers actually trade for Bulls star Zach LaVine?
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The Lakers are figuring out rather early in the season that their current roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis may not be good enough to win a championship. However, is Zach LaVine the missing piece that will take them over the top?
If anything, the Lakers need to reinforce their defense that ranks in the bottom five in the league. LaVine won’t do much, if anything at all, to improve their defense. Thus, it’s likely that the Lakers look elsewhere and that the Bulls find another taker for LaVine and his huge contract.