Zach LaVine Rumors: 'Minimal Interest' in Injured SG; NBA Rivals Know Bulls Eye Trade

The trade market for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine continues to be limited, according to The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry.

The Bulls announced Wednesday that LaVine will miss around three to four weeks due to right foot inflammation.

Mayberry acknowledged the theory that Chicago is proactively sitting the two-time All-Star with a possible trade in mind. However, he explained the approach is "not something [LaVine would] go for" and that "the bigger problem for the Bulls is the marketplace."

"Not only does there appear to be minimal interest from rival teams, but they all know the Bulls are looking to part ways with LaVine," Mayberry reported. "Overcoming that obstacle in negotiations could be Chicago's biggest challenge."

This seems to be a common theme.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported in September the Bulls "explored trade scenarios for Zach LaVine throughout this offseason" and that "there just doesn't seem to be a robust market for LaVine's services

In November, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report weighed up the 28-year-old as a potential addition for the Los Angeles Lakers and gave the impression little had changed in terms of his value outside of Chicago.

Then ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported succinctly on Dec. 1 "there is not a market for Zach LaVine right now" and not through a lack of trying on the Bulls' part.

LaVine was averaging 21.0 points on 44.3 percent shooting before getting injured, and he dropped the first 50-point game of the 2023-24 season in an Oct. 28 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

LaVine's foot injury obviously does nothing to help Chicago's bargaining position at the trade table. The overarching problem is that there may be nothing he can realistically do at this point, at least in the Windy City, to become a net-positive asset.

His contract isn't going anywhere. Assuming he'll pick up his 2026-27 player option, he's owed $138 million over the next three seasons.

In addition, the most frequent question surrounding LaVine — do his contributions translate to winning basketball — won't be answered with the Bulls languishing outside of a play-in tournament position. The 6'5" wing can come back and average 30 points a night and skeptics will chalk that up as empty calories if his team's current trajectory continues.

Using a LaVine trade to either retool or lay the foundation for a rebuild is probably out of the question. For the Bulls front office, the only choice might be figuring out how much of a loss it's willing to absorb on a player who was supposed to be a franchise cornerstone.