It’s tough to envision a scenario where the Bulls make it through the NBA trade deadline with a core roster remotely similar to its current outlook. Chicago is off to a 7-14 start to the current season, and a number of the team’s core players have been mentioned in numerous trade rumors of late, including guard Zach LaVine.
The 28-year-old, who’s been in Chicago since the 2017-18 season, appears to be on his way out. But unfortunately, a recent report stated that there’s “not a market for LaVine right now,” which ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported just ahead of the weekend.
There is one team that Wojnarowski’s co-worker at ESPN, Bobby Marks, can envision emerging in the trade market for LaVine — the Pistons.
“Detroit is, what, 2-17? I would not be surprised if Detroit dipped their toe into the Zach LaVine [market] … and see if we can get a guy who’s a former All-Star who we couldn’t get in free agency and it doesn’t cost as much … that they go out and do something like that. That would be kind of a team I’d just keep an eye on,” Marks said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Multiple reports suggest the Chicago Bulls continue to look for a trade for Zach LaVine.@BobbyMarks42 tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA the Pistons could be his landing spot. pic.twitter.com/X5SN1511mf
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 2, 2023
It’s tough to argue with this on a surface level, considering Detroit has dropped 17 games in a row to start the 2023-24 season. They’re currently 2–18 with the worst record in the league, so it’d make sense for them to be active at the trade deadline.
The big question is how that move would pan out with LaVine. While he still has two more years and a potential player option after this season on his current contract, LaVine doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his deal. But as we’ve seen in the past, players not having the power to veto trades hasn’t stopped things from getting a bit uncomfortable. James Harden and the 76ers-Clippers’ eventual trade was proof of that in numerous ways.
