NBA Rumors: Bulls' Zach LaVine Still Interests Pistons; Deadline Talks Aren't Dormant

If the Chicago Bulls want to trade Zach LaVine before the Feb. 8 deadline, they could still have a partner in the Detroit Pistons.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the Pistons still "maintain interest" in the two-time All-Star and talks with the Bulls "have by no means gone dormant."

Despite having the worst record in the NBA, the Pistons' approach to this deadline hasn't been about planning for their long-term future. They recently acquired Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala from the Washington Wizards for Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round draft picks.

There have been rumblings the Pistons don't want to be sellers because they want to do everything they can to accelerate this rebuild process.

When taken from that perspective, Detroit's interest in LaVine makes sense. He's an established player with a track record of sustained production in the league and name recognition.

LaVine's actual contributions to helping his teams win games can be debated. He's been relied on to be Chicago's best player for most of his seven seasons with the organization, but the team has only made one playoff appearance during that span.

The Pistons could argue that LaVine wouldn't have to do as much for them because they also have Cade Cunningham to share the offensive load, but teams don't historically perform better with him on the court because the ball stops in his hands.

There's also the matter of LaVine's contract, which pays him $89 million over the next two seasons after 2022-23 and includes a $48.97 million player option for 2025-26. That's probably not the best use of resources for a Pistons franchise that hasn't historically appealed to free agents.

LaVine also hasn't been healthy for most of this season. He's missed 20 of the past 27 games due to ankle and foot injuries.

But the Pistons also don't have a lot of options to make themselves better in the short-term if that's their goal. This pairing still feels like a long-shot, though things can change the closer we get to the deadline.