Zach LaVine Trade Rumors: Nets Unlikely to Pursue Deal with Bulls amid Lakers Buzz

Rumors and speculation are running rampant regarding the Chicago Bulls possibly trading two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine, but the Brooklyn Nets reportedly aren't expected to be in the running for his services.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, league sources said the Nets are "not likely" to pursue LaVine.

Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Bulls have "increased openness" when it comes to possibly trading LaVine, and they named the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat as teams expected to have interest.

The Lakers have been gaining steam as a LaVine suitor in particular due to a report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic stating that L.A. has "real" interest in LaVine in addition to a pair of other Bulls players in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.

Fischer noted that the Nets have only Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson on the books with guaranteed contracts for the 2025-26 season, meaning they have the flexibility to take on a big contract or two before then.

LaVine, 28, signed a five-year, $215.16 million contract with the Bulls last year, but they went 40-42 and missed the playoffs last season, and are off to a 4-8 start this season.

Since getting traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Bulls in 2017, LaVine has been one of the NBA's best offensive players, as he owns averages of 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in seven seasons with the Bulls.

LaVine's scoring is down a bit so far this season, as his 21.7 points per game are currently his lowest since the 2017-18 campaign. He is also shooting just 40.7 percent from the field after shooting 50.7 percent in 2020-21, 47.6 percent in 2021-22 and 48.5 percent last season.

Over the past couple of years, the Nets have traded away their entire "Big 3" of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden after they failed to get the team past the second round of the playoffs.

Despite that, the Nets reached the playoffs last season with a 47-35 record, and they are off to a solid 6-5 start this season.

The play of Bridges and Johnson has been paramount to their success, as has Cam Thomas, who is their leading scorer with 26.9 points per game, plus supporting cast members such as Lonnie Walker IV, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Brooklyn is already a playoff contender, but it is likely still a star or two away from competing for a championship.

LaVine would likely get the Nets closer to that point, but perhaps they would rather wait for an even bigger fish to become available on the trade market or in free agency.