Shams: Bulls' LaVine Timeline Matches Lakers' Russell, Hachimura Trade Eligibility

Zach LaVine's return from injury is slated to matchup with a pair of Los Angeles Lakers players' trade eligibility.

The Chicago Bulls star is dealing with right foot inflammation, which will keep him off the court another three to four weeks. NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium Shams Charania noted that his injury timeline matches up with the date that D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura will be eligible to be traded.

"Ironically, this takes the Bulls and Zach LaVine right up to January, mid-January, that January 15th date, where all the free agents will be eligible to be traded from last summer," Charania said. "So, when you think about teams like the Lakers, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, those two guys will both be trade eligible come January 15th.

The Lakers, along with the Philadelphia 76ers, are two teams that could be looking to land LaVine in a trade, Charania said, and LaVine and the Bulls could be open to dealing.

"We know what this has been, the Lakers, Sixers, two of the teams expected to have interest in Zach LaVine and both sides, Zach LaVine and the Bulls have been open to exploring trade avenues," Charania said. "But for now Zach LaVine will remain shelved."

The Bulls are 8-14 on the season and sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference. These struggles have resulted in links to a possible fire sale, with Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan floated as possible names who could be on the move in addition to LaVine.

In 18 games, LaVine has averaged 21 points per game, down from his average of 24.8 last season. With LaVine out of the lineup, Chicago has won its last three games and is looking to pick up another win on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.