3) Chicago Bulls likely to remain with the team post-deadline
Zach LaVine, Shooting Guard
There were many different points of the regular season to date where it looked like first-year executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley would want to part ways with star shooting guard Zach LaVine. That is, if the asking price was right for a trade to actually be worth it for the Bulls.
The 6-foot-6 25-year-old former UCLA Bruin was a first-time All-Star selection this year. He’s having another career year for the Bulls and looks like he could be a player worth building around for the likes of Karnisovas and Donovan. LaVine also played well in his first career All-Star Game appearance, scoring in the double digits and registering three steals.
Moreover, the Bulls would have to get a nearly unbeatable offer if it were to really make sense for them to part ways with LaVine at the deadline at this point. LaVine is taking his game to new heights, and giving the Bulls that true star they’ve been looking for in each of the four years of the rebuild to date.
Up through the All-Star Break, LaVine was sensational in the 34 games he’s played in for the Bulls. He’s averaged a career-best 28.7 points per game, roughly five rebounds and five assists, more than one steal, and around 0.5 blocks. And LaVine shot a career-best 52.5 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.
This coming offseason might be the time where LaVine is truly considered for a sizable contract extension. It doesn’t look like the right time for the Bulls to trade him in the current season.