Two-time All-Star Chicago Bulls small forward Zach LaVine may be playing some of the best basketball of his life this year, but he still remains in something of a purgatory while awaiting the trade fates of a few starrier names who could be on the market, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
The 6-foot-5 swingman, 29, has been on an absolute tear so far this month.
In five January bouts (during which Chicago has gone 3-2), LaVine has averaged 32.8 points while slashing .598/.424/.786 shooting splits, 5.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals a night. He has scored 30 or more points in each of those contests.
On the season, he's averaging 23.6 points on .518/.444/.808 shooting splits, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the 18-20 Bulls.
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With 33 out of 38 possible games under his belt thus far, the UCLA product has already eclipsed his 25 total contests played for the 2023-24 season, and we're not even halfway through January.
Cowley notes that the Denver Nuggets had been conducting trade talks with Chicago about LaVine in December, and notes that those conversations have slowed of late. That doesn't mean, however, that there is no possibility this deal won't happen.
Denver has looked a bit more solid of late after an uneven start to the season. The club has found surprising success by inserting veteran former MVP point guard Russell Westbrook into its rotation, moving Jamal Murray up to shooting guard, and demoting Christian Braun to the bench.
It doesn't hurt that Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has taken on even more of the scoring and shooting burden of late, and is making a case for a stunning third consecutive league MVP award.
Still, the addition of LaVine (presumably in stead of starting small forward Michael Porter Jr., the most sensible Denver trade chip) would add a supplemental playmaker and shooter for Jokic. Although he's not much of a defender, LaVine is such a scoring talent — capable of converting at high efficiency across all three levels — that he could at least improve the team's ceiling.
Per Cowley, a source revealed that another Western Conference playoff hopeful, the Los Angeles Lakers, had discussed a potential LaVine deal earlier this year. Following L.A.'s recent mid-season acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, Cowley indicates that a Lakers trade for LaVine appears all but dead.
LaVine could have been an intriguing fit alongside older frontcourt All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but his defensive shortcomings and pricey $43 million contract may have limited the depth L.A. would have been able to keep around this new "Big Three."
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Cowley observes that Miami Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler (for whom LaVine was traded to the Bulls in the first place, back in 2017) is the top name on the trade market this year, with the Feb. 6 deadline approaching. The Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and New Orleans Pelicans are all in the hunt for the 6-foot-7 superstar wing, per Cowley.
But once Butler's fate is sealed one way or another, Cowley suggests that LaVine could serve as a nice consolation prize. New Orleans All-Star forwards Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson could also take precedence over LaVine should they become available.
"People are supposed to talk about you, have opinions about you," LaVine said of his name being floated in trade rumors, per Cowley. "If you're not at that level, they wouldn't talk about you at all."
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"I've done a better job this year of just canceling out a lot of the noise," LaVine remarked.
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