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Zach LaVine trade rumors: Lakers, Heat and 76ers are star guard's preferred destinations, per report – CBS Sports
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Zach LaVine has been a fixture in fake NBA trades over the past year or two, but earlier this week, a deal took a real step towards becoming reality as reports indicated that the Bulls were open to trading their former All-Star guard. But where could he go? It’s too early to say for certain, but according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, LaVine has preferences.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are among the teams LaVine would prefer to be traded to, according to Fischer. He also has an eye on the San Antonio Spurs and a possible team-up with No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, which makes some sense considering their dreadful offensive numbers at the moment and LaVine’s brief stint playing under Gregg Popovich for Team USA. He would also welcome a deal that would send him to the Sacramento Kings, the team he signed a restricted free agency offer sheet with in 2018. The Bulls matched that offer sheet, but could still send him to the Kings now.
Just because LaVine is interested in these teams does not guarantee their interest in him. The 76ers, for instance, are reportedly unlikely to make a big offer for LaVine, according to Marc Stein. The Knicks and Mavericks are reportedly not expected to seriously pursue LaVine either. The Lakers, on the other hand, appear interested. It is unknown at this time how seriously the Heat, Kings or Spurs plan to pursue LaVine.
Chicago reportedly holds some level of interest in Heat guard Tyler Herro, who was a fixture in Damian Lillard talks this offseason before the Portland Trail Blazers ultimately sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks. Of course, Lillard is a more accomplished player than LaVine, and the Heat might prefer not to send out their young guard for a player who may only be a marginal upgrade. There are alternate routes to a deal, though, which would likely start with the hefty expiring contract of Kyle Lowry as well as draft capital. The Kings are somewhat restrained on the draft capital side considering the pick they owe the Hawks for Kevin Huerter, and matching salary would be a bit tricky for them as well.
The Spurs are in the fortunate position of being able to trade for practically any player they want. They’ve amassed an impressive amount of draft capital in trades with other teams over the past several years, and they have a number of mid-sized contracts they could use to pursue a player like LaVine. Notably, though, LaVine is 28 years old and has a history of knee injuries. Wembanyama is 19, and the Spurs might prefer to hold onto assets that could be used to add players on his timeline.
LaVine doesn’t have much leverage to force a deal to a specific destination. He has three years left on his max deal even after this season ends, and he has never won a playoff series in his career. He may get to a contender, but it will likely be whichever one offers the Bulls the best deal.
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