Bulls' Zach LaVine to Return from Foot Injury vs. Hornets; Has Been Out Since Nov. 28

After missing more than a month of basketball, Zach LaVine is set to make his return to the court on Friday.

LaVine, who has been out since Nov. 28 with a foot injury, will play in the Chicago Bulls' matchup with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced Friday afternoon. He will come off the bench and be on a minutes restriction.

In 18 games this season, LaVine has put up 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The Bulls are looking to snap a two-game losing skid on Friday night.

LaVine's return comes as the 10th-year guard has been involved in trade rumors. While he has been in conversations regarding a potential trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, his contract, which has four years and $180 million left on it, has made the Lakers hesitant deal for him, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

In the meantime, he'll be looking to help the Bulls get into the playoff conversation. Chicago currently sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference at 15-21, but having the two-time All-Star back on the court could spark some midseason momentum.

The pairing of LaVine and DeMar DeRozan has yielded mixed results since they teamed up in 2021. In their first season together, they propelled Chicago to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but the Bulls fell short and missed the playoffs last season.

With LaVine back on the court and still in a Bulls uniform for now, he'll be looking to attack the rest of the season with full force and will Chicago to success.