NBA Rumors: Bulls Had 'Exploratory' Talks About Dejounte Murray-Zach LaVine Trade

The Chicago Bulls are open to the possibility of trading star guard Zach LaVine, and they reportedly are eyeing a talented young star to replace him.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Bulls have "inquired about" Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray "as part of Chicago's exploratory efforts to return All-Star talent for LaVine."

However, it doesn't sound like a trade for Murray is close to happening for the Bulls, as Fischer noted that "those talks never gained much traction with the Hawks." While Murray is a popular trade candidate, it's unclear where he'll end up. Fischer added that while the San Antonio Spurs "continue to be mentioned by league personnel as a potential landing spot" for Murray, sources said that "San Antonio does not currently bill as a probable outcome for Atlanta's trade approach either."

Murray has started all 36 games for the 15-21 Hawks and is the team's second-leading scorer at 21.1 points per game while also adding 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He was expected to pair with Trae Young to form a dominant backcourt combo, but their partnership hasn't yielded success for Atlanta.

At 18-21, Chicago is also a middling team that is mulling the possibility of breaking up its core. LaVine has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time, as Fischer reported that Chicago "has explored moving [him] since the summer." In 21 games, the 28-year-old is averaging 20.3 points, his lowest average since his first season with the Bulls in 2017-18.

As the Feb. 8 trade deadline draws nearer, it will be interesting to see if Chicago or Atlanta receives an offer enticing enough to move their respective star players.