Zach LaVine Trade Rumors: 76ers, Blazers Spoke to Bulls amid Lillard, Harden Buzz

As James Harden and Damian Lillard continue waiting to find out where they will play when the 2023-24 NBA season begins, their current teams have at least looked into the possibility of acquiring Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.

Per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have "preliminary conversations" with the Bulls about the two-time All-Star.

Johnson noted that while neither of those talks gained traction "for now," Chicago has "fluctuated in its belief in LaVine's consistency as a lead option" and those questions "only intensified" after his erratic performances in the two play-in tournament games.

"After almost single-handedly willing the Bulls to a victory in Toronto with 39 points," Johnson wrote, "LaVine shot 6-for-21 with five turnovers in the season-ending loss to the Miami Heat."

Per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice, prior to the draft, the Bulls "were setting a reasonably high price" for LaVine believed to be a "young player with upside and multiple" draft picks.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on June 29 that Harden was opting in to his $35.6 million salary for 2023-24 with the intent on working with the 76ers to find a trade partner.

The Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks were cited by Wojnarowski as teams potentially interested in the 10-time All-Star.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin announced on July 1 that Lillard formally requested a trade, and the organization is "committed to winning" and is "going to do what's best for the team in pursuit of that goal.

The Blazers have to figure out a direction before they do anything with Lillard. If they aren't interested in adding Tyler Herro as part of a potential trade with the Miami Heat, would LaVine really be that much better?

Both players have defensive limitations and would add another body to an already-crowded backcourt in Portland with Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons.

Herro isn't the same level scorer as LaVine, but he's also five years younger and will make slightly less money over the next four years ($120 million) as LaVine will over the next three years ($129.1 million) even before factoring in his $48.97 million player option for 2026-27.

The 76ers' potential interest in LaVine makes a lot more sense. They are operating with some level of desperation because Joel Embiid's future in Philadelphia beyond next season could depend on what the roster around him looks like.

There's already been speculation the New York Knicks could look to make a play for Embiid, who is under contract for three more seasons and has a $59 million player option for 2026-27, if things fall apart for the Sixers.

LaVine's future with the Bulls has been a talking point almost from the moment he signed a five-year supermax extension in July 2022. Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported in December LaVine and the team were "not seeing eye to eye."

Since Feb. 25, 2022, when the Bulls were atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 39-21 record, they have gone 47-57 in 104 regular-season games. They did make the playoffs as the No. 6 seed two seasons ago, losing in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks.

LaVine averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 77 starts for the Bulls during the 2022-23 campaign.