Zach LaVine Trade Rumors: Darius Garland Was Eyed by Bulls in Pitch to Cavaliers

No one can accuse the Chicago Bulls of aiming low in their attempts to trade Zach LaVine.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Bulls pitched the Cleveland Cavaliers on a swap of LaVine for Darius Garland in their attempt to pursue All-Star players in exchange for the 28-year-old.

Fischer didn't specify how the Cavs reacted to Chicago's proposal, but the fact Garland remains with Cleveland is an indication talks may not have gotten very far.

Additionally, NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson reported Friday that the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat have not "shown interest" in LaVine to this point.

A player like Garland would help solve a lot of the offensive issues that plague Chicago when LaVine is healthy. The 23-year-old is averaging more than 20 points per game for the third consecutive season and at least 5.9 assists per game for the fourth straight season.

LaVine has been the biggest name mentioned so far as a potential trade candidate before the Feb. 8 deadline, though it doesn't appear many teams will be quick to line up with their best offer for him.

Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, LaVine's camp would prefer a move to the Los Angeles Lakers "because of the Klutch Sports connection."

The Toronto Raptors are another team, along with the Lakers, believed to have at least some level of interest in LaVine.

It's probably not helping Chicago's trade leverage that it has won five of seven games with LaVine out due to a foot injury, including victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.

The Bulls could hold the keys leading up to the trade deadline, but there's an argument LaVine is their third-best trade chip.

Alex Caruso has a skill set that will be attractive to virtually every contending team, and he's only making $9.5 million this season with a $3 million partial guarantee for 2024-25 that becomes fully guaranteed for $9.9 million if he's on a roster on June 30.

DeMar DeRozan is playing on an expiring contract with a $28.6 million salary. He's averaging 22.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in 24 starts this season.

LaVine is under contract through 2025-26 with salaries over $40 million each season, plus a $49 million player option for 2026-27. He's averaging 21.0 points on 44.3 percent shooting and 3.4 assists per game in 18 starts.