Has Zach LaVine played his last game as a Chicago Bull? After appearing to twist his ankle over a week ago in Toronto, LaVine's been on the sidelines again for Chicago and is set to be reevaluated on February 1st. Having only played in 25 of the 46 possible contests and his name being the most commonly thrown into trade talks, there's more than meets the eye when assessing why he'll be out at least two weeks with a rolled ankle. NBC Chicago's K.C. Johnson put it best: They're "clearly stretching to the trade deadline." Have the Pistons' rumors affected his return timeline, or are the two unrelated?
Returning Young Assets From Detroit
Just another day reaching into the NBA mailbox, LaVine's name is again popping into trade rumors. This time, the struggling Detroit Pistons are the team of interest. Reported by The Athletic's James Edwards III and confirmed by K.C. Johnson and others, Chicago and Detroit have "discussed" the potential swapping of the two-time All-Star for a package centered around Bojan Bogdanovic and one of the young stars up north like Jaden Ivey or Ausar Thompson.
This should be music to Chicagoland's ears, seeing that LaVine's most effective stretch this year was his return from injury, when his offensive role was diminished to more of an extra pass in the rotation than a feature item. He also had five or more assists in four straight for the first time since March last season, when the Bulls won seven of nine. Whether the $40 million man wants to humble himself down to that role or not, the Bulls are a better team when he's dishing the rock and the team is run through Nikola Vucevic in the middle.
Playing It Safe With LaVine's Health
Many thought that the former UCLA Bruin may have seen his last action in the red and black when he was sidelined for the entire month of December amidst several trade murmurs, including links to the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers. While his lucrative contract and lack of playoff success barred any of those deals from coming to fruition, he returned to action for the Bulls in January. He rolled his ankle in his seventh game back and unsuccessfully attempted to play through it. Initially estimated to miss one-to-two weeks, his timeline has mysteriously been pushed back to align with the NBA's trade deadline on February 8th.
There's still plenty at play here regarding whether the Bulls will move on from their seven-year star and face of the franchise. Still, with their best month coming in his absence, his statistically worst year in Chicago, and the looming $40 million or more he's due in each of the following four seasons, there hasn't been a better or more practical time to part ways.
How low should the Bulls be willing to sell their two-time All-Star, and has he played his last game calling the United Center home?
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