Rarely do I plead for less NBA content, especially during mid-July. But 🔯these Zach LaVine (non) updates have got to stop.
When was the last time it’s been reported THIS often that there is zero market for a player? Seriously, this has been the same old story ever since before this last season’s trade deadline. Don’t get me wrong, when new teams like the Pistons or Kings pop up as a potential suitor, we have to talk about it. But I truly can’t believe the sheer number of times it’s been reported that LaVine’s market is non-existent. We get it! If that wasn’t the case, the two-time All-Star would be long gone by now.
Nikola Vucevic is also starting to receive the same treatment. Rumors emerged about his availability over the handful of weeks, but this hasn’t come tied to any interested parties. It’s abundantly clear that the market for the big man is dry as a bone, and the Bulls will likely have to enter the regular season with him as their starting center.
To clarify, thi💮s reaction comes after . The long-time Bulls beat reporter re-emphasized in his latest offseason grades article that neither LaVine nor Vucevic appears destined for a change of scenery in the immediate future.
“As long as shooting guard Zach LaVine and, for that matter, center Nikola Vucevic are on the roster, it’s like Arturas Karnisovas got up from his desk halfway through the test to take a break and hit the vending machine,” Cowley wrote. “What Karnisovas and the rest of the Bulls’ front office have on their side is time. Not a lot but enough. The growing concerns, however, are that possible destinations for LaVine seemingly have dried up and that there is still no market for Vucevic at age 33 and $41 million-plus guaranteed over the next two seasons.”
In the context of the greater discussion, I can understand why Cowley brought up the barren market. However, what confuses me is this notation that LaVine’s dried-up market is creating “growing concerns.” Once again, this information isn’t new! All we have to do is look at the persistent inactivity and lack of interested teams. As far as I’m concerned, the concerns have been alive and well!
Indeed, I think the time is now to switch the conversation to what the heck the Bulls will do with LaVine and Vucevic still on the roster. Whether it be the departures of DeMar🗹 DeRozan and Alex Caruso, or the additions of Josh Giddey, Jalen Smith, and Matas Buzelis, the openness to taking a competitive step backward is apparent. The organization appears ready toജ welcome a youth movement and prioritize a more long-term vision. But how will LaVine and Vucevic fit into that? Even more important, will LaVine and Vucevic be ok with that?
Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley seemingly do not want to attach assets to both players in a trade. And that’s the right thing to do, particularly as you embark on a rebuild of sorts. However, the idea of welcoming both veterans back into the United Center with this pre-existing roster could prove extremely complicated. Not only do both players know they were on the trade block, but they also know that short-term winning likely isn’t the organization’s priority.
In other words, if the franchise is building for the future, why would they want to prioritize LaVine and Vucevic’s success? The goal should be to get their young players as many valuable reps as possible, including in late-game situations. LaVine and Vucevic will take away from those opportunities.
Might the veterans have to suck it up and embrace the youth movement? Sure. But that’s also not necessarily in the Bulls’ best interest. Remember, this front office has made it blatantly obvious that they want to move both of these players. They also don’t want to risk giving up assets to get off either. This means the only way to find the right trade is for a market to arise for LaVine and Vucevic. How does that happen? Well, by giving them the ball and giving them a chance to put up good numbers and/or win games.
Let’s not forget that the Bulls 2025 first-round pick belongs to the San Antonio Spurs with a top-10 protection. I know it can sound a tad icky, but every loss matters! LaVine and Vucevic will help this team win games, which (unfortunately) could cause significant damage to the front office’s long-term vision.
To be sure, Karnisovas and Eversley only have themselves to blame for this looming scenario. They could have gotten off both players in the past or – at the very least – done a better job building a market for them over the last few months. I understand that neither player has helped themselves, but I think we can all agree the front office hasn’t handled this appropriately. The fact that everyone and their mother knows Chicago they would love both players gone erases practically all leverage. Not to mention, they also overpaid both of them!
I always hate to end these offseason posts with more questions than answers, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. There is still time for both LaVine and Vucevic to find a new home. We all know the front office will be working hard to make that happen. However, the chance of them returning next season is increasing by the day, and this could create a lot of concerns come October.
More thoughts on this front office …
