The trade deadline is only a couple of weeks away, and as time passes Zach LaVine is still a player for the Chicago Bulls. It’s no secret that the two-time All Star has been on the market for months, but the Bulls have found no takers because LaVine is in that pesky group of players not strong enough to be man-franchise in a contender but too strong for a team that wants to tank. According to John Edwards III of The Athletic, one trade the Bulls have discussed in recent weeks would be with the Detroit Pistons.
The deal for the time being has not materialized, but it cannot be ruled out that talks will be resumed near the trade deadline. In particular, Detroit has identified 4 incedible players: Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. The Bulls offered LaVine in exchange for one of these four (it was not specified which one) plus Bojan Bogdanovic. The offer was returned to sender by the Pistons, who will wait for Zach LaVine’s price to drop to “pull the trigger”.
Detroit remains a team to watch at deadline, despite a 5-39 record and last place in the standings. In fact, in recent weeks they have reportedly been talking with the Atlanta Hawks about Dejounte Murray, also ended up in the sights of the Lakers and Bucks. However, when Atlanta asked for one of Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey in return, the Pistons nixed the deal.