Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jack Simone

Reports of Bulls shopping Zach LaVine dubbed mostly fiction

Despite missing the postseason this past year, the Chicago Bulls seem intent on running back the same roster. Arturas Karnisovas said he’s against rebuilding the roster, and, so far this summer, that’s remained true. The Bulls extended Nikola Vucevic, giving him a new three-year, $60 million deal.

Buy Bulls Tickets

However, despite their intentions, reports of the Bulls considering a roster reset have persisted. Recent rumblings indicated Chicago has been testing the waters around the league regarding a Zach LaVine trade, but Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report isn’t buying it.

According to Buckley, the reports of the Bulls asking around about LaVine trades should be considered mostly fiction because none of the other moves they’ve made this summer point toward a rebuild.

“If the Bulls wanted a shake-up this summer, they could have let Vučević walk and shopped DeMar DeRozan,” Buckley wrote. “Turn these 30-somethings into more long-term assets, and Chicago might have sidestepped a rebuild and perhaps done something closer to a reloading.

“Dealing LaVine would’ve been something different. The 28-year-old is the cornerstone of this club now and for the foreseeable future. If the Bulls let him go, their entire focus could have (and should have) shifted into asset-accumulation mode.

“That’s why this is hard to take at face value. Nothing suggests Chicago is ready to embrace the kind of wholesale changes that a LaVine trade would have sparked.”

There’s always a chance the Bulls shift their focus toward a rebuild, but right now, it seems like they want to run it back.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.