The Chicago Bulls have found the trade market for Zach LaVine to be tepid several weeks after it became clear that both sides have interest in a separation.
“There is not a market for Zach LaVine right now in the NBA,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on NBA Today. “That’s not because Chicago has not tried to find it and aren’t currently trying to find it.
“It’s a combination of a few reasons. LaVine’s contract at four more years at around a $45 million or $46 million a year average. But his productivity. I think this is a player right now who is out right now with a foot injury. He’s been in and out of the lineup. I think the question for teams is how much does Zach LaVine impact winning. Especially at that salary and with a new salary cap where you’re asking for yourself ‘Are you trading for him to be our best player? No. Our second best player? No. If he’s our third best player, do we want to pay that kind of money?’
“For the Bulls, they want to get some value in a trade. Right now, for both LaVine and the Bulls to get a trade, he needs to starts playing well. He needs to start playing well and impacting winning. That certainly is what teams are going want to see as they look at the value of trying to do a trade for him.”