Zach LaVine Trade Rumors: Bulls 'Quietly Gauging' Interest in Star's Market Value

The Chicago Bulls have reportedly been "quietly gauging" rival teams' interest in a trade for All-Star guard Zach LaVine.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported it's been the Bulls reaching out to other teams—not the other way around—which is noteworthy because it increases the likelihood LaVine could be moved this summer.

LaVine is heading into the second season of a five-year, $215.2 million contract. He's coming off a slightly disappointing campaign that saw him miss the All-Star team for the first time since 2020, finishing with averages of 24.8 points, 4.5 rebound and 4.2 assists.

The UCLA product's stats in a macro sense were not noticeably worse than his All-Star campaign a year earlier, but an ugly start to the season set the tone for a first half that ended with him on the outside looking in of the All-Star picture. It did not help that the Bulls were one of the Eastern Conference's most disappointing teams, finishing 40-42 and failing to make the playoffs.

Chicago's interest in trading LaVine may be more a product of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement than anything. The new CBA puts prohibitive restrictions on league's richest teams, with newly implemented second tax apron throttling maneuverability for teams that go over that number.

While the Bulls are in no real danger of becoming one of those teams, they're paying a player who has never made an All-NBA team more than $40 million annually. That wasn't even the best recipe for success under the old collective bargaining agreement—let alone the new one. Borderline All-Stars getting paid like superstars are likely going to flood the trade market over the next 12-24 months as NBA teams get used to the sport's new financial norm.

LaVine is a quality player who can help any team given his skill set, but the appetite for paying him that salary is a lot less than a year ago.