The Chicago Bulls have been looking for a trade partner for Zach LaVine for more than 12 months. The veteran guard’s history of knee injuries, massive contract and restrictions placed on teams with the league’s second apron have limited Chicago’s options to about zero.
That changed late last week, however, when it was rumored that the Denver Nuggets held significant interest in LaVine.
Nikola Jokic is having another MVP-caliber season, but Denver is more dependent on its star than ever. The Nuggets are trying to find an affordable scoring wing to pair with the superstar big man.
Possible deals involving a swap of LaVine and Michael Porter Jr. have made the rounds, but it doesn’t appear anything is imminent. Still, it’s impossible for players to ignore the news and rumors when situations like this crop up, and LaVine is certainly no stranger to hearing them.
Zach LaVine comments on potential Denver Nuggets trade
K.C. Johnson of CHSN posted some of the Bulls star’s comments on the latest speculation on X (formerly Twitter):
“”I’m not the one controlling that. That’s what has been so good about my mindset. I can control what my mood is and my mindset going into each game. Outside of that, it’s out of my control.
“I signed a lengthy contract here for a reason. I wanted to stay here. But it’s always good to know you have interest because that means you’re a player other people want to play with.”
There’s not an overwhelming amount of things to unpack from LaVine’s comments, but his message since the team’s media day has been consistent: Any rifts with the organization are in the past, he’s focused on the Bulls and he wants to stay through the end of his five-year contract.
The only thing of note is his admitting that a championship-caliber team like Denver has at least some desire to bring him into the fold, which frankly is human nature.
Whether any kind of trade goes down is still up in the air, but for now, LaVine is saying all the right things and continuing to play like an All-Star, which is helping the Bulls on the floor and increasing his value as an asset.
