As the Chicago Bulls labor through yet another season filled with poor performances and flickering highlight reels, they will soon encounter a question that has hovered over them in recent seasons. Will the Bulls part ways with Zach LaVine ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline in what could represent an official acknowledgement of a pending rebuild?

Or will they keep LaVine in hopes that his All-Star-caliber play can keep them relevant in the NBA play-in tournament race?

LaVine appeared at ease recently when discussing the uncertainty of the upcoming trade deadline. And why wouldn’t he? He’s already experienced it in recent seasons. He still has $137.8 million left on his three-year contract. And he seems more interested in spending his time and energy on something more meaningful than doomscrolling through social media updates.

“First and foremost, I’m a husband and a father. That helps me be in the right mindset every day,” LaVine said after the Bulls’ 112-99 win at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. “Because they don’t care at all if you have 35, 15 or five [points]. You got to go home and be dad. That always keeps me back at an even keel.”

Undoubtedly, LaVine and his family would feel affected for better or for worse should the Bulls finally trade him after dealing two other significant rotation players last summer – Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City and DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento.

The potential good: perhaps LaVine can finally join an NBA title contender after the Bulls have struggled in past seasons in a play-in tournament loss (2023), a first-round playoff exit (2022) and four consecutive missed postseason appearances (2018-21). The potential bad: LaVine and his family would relocate to a city that may not yield the same recent personal success. The Bulls (19-25) enter Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors (21-21) stuck in mediocrity (10th in the Eastern Conference).

Yet, the franchise may feel convinced it can climb higher in the standings because LaVine has improved his productivity and durability dramatically in his 11th NBA season. LaVine remains on pace to finish with his fourth-best scoring season (24.0 points) while netting career highs in shooting percentage (51.4%) and 3-point shooting (45%). After playing in only 25 games last season amid overlapping right ankle and right foot injuries, LaVine has played in 39 out of a possible 44 games amid mild ailments.

Zach LaVine 2024-25 stats G PPG RPG APG FG% 3-pt FG% 39 24.0 4.8 4.5 .514 .450 “He really missed the game, and he wanted to play,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of LaVine. “I think he’s been totally invested since he’s come back in trying to do that to the best of his ability.”

LaVine showcased that commitment perfectly in Chicago’s win over the Clippers at Intuit Dome. He helped the Bulls snap a five-game losing streak by scoring 35 points while shooting 11-for-21 from the field and 5-for-12 from deep. He posted 15 third-quarter points, which included two step-back 3s, a fast-break dunk, a pull-up jumper and two layups that drew a foul. LaVine took over the game with the same approach that Michael Jordan once showed in the same uniform. Decades after Jordan posted 30-point performances in 537 games with Chicago, LaVine tied Bob Love for the Bulls’ second-most 30-point games in franchise history with 109.

“It’s always good to be second to you know who. The guy was unreal,” LaVine said of Jordan. “It’s good to be second to him.” Bulls guard Zach LaVine operates with the ball as Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson defends at Moda Center on Jan. 19. Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Beyond that statistical milestone, no one will mistake the different résumés that Jordan and LaVine cemented. Jordan won six NBA titles in six Finals appearances, became the league’s fifth all-time leading scorer and remains, arguably, the game’s greatest player of all time.

LaVine made two All-Star appearances (2021, ’22) and only mirrored Jordan’s path as a two-time Dunk Contest champion. Just like Jordan showed countless times during his accomplished 15-year NBA career, however, LaVine hunted for his shot in lieu of ball movement in hopes to snap the team’s recent sluggishness. Though Donovan typically preaches ball movement, he liked that LaVine showed more aggressiveness by taking open 3s and attacking the basket.

“There’s going to be ups and downs through any NBA season for any NBA team. But when you go on a five-game losing streak, it’s tough,” LaVine said. “It just feels like the next one isn’t coming. You just to figure out how to do it.” LaVine also showcased that resiliency during his recent injuries. Donovan observed that LaVine has “always played through stuff since I’ve been with him.” He could not simply play through last season’s injuries, though. First, LaVine missed 17 games while dealing with inflammation in his right foot and additional discomfort with his right ankle. Second, LaVine then had season-ending surgery on his right foot shortly after the trade deadline passed on Feb. 8, 2024.

LaVine then spent the ensuing spring and summer determined to write a comeback story. Bulls guard Zach LaVine handles the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly defends at United Center on Jan. 10. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images “I worked on my body a lot. I worked on my mind. And I came ready to go,” LaVine said. “I think that’s the main thing. When you put that much work in, it’s easy. You’ve done it before. You just go out there and play basketball.” In three weeks, LaVine will find out whether he will continue to play basketball while wearing a Bulls uniform. Chicago has declined to make a deal leading into the trade deadline for the past three seasons. Perhaps that means the Bulls won’t find a suitable offer that matches the depth and salary expected to match LaVine’s contract. Then again, the Bulls owe their first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs if the selection drops out of the top 10.

That could incentive Chicago to punt on its season in hopes to maximize its draft lottery odds. Unlike in past seasons, LaVine arguably has assuaged concerns from other teams about his health. Then again, his productive play may entice the Bulls to stay put in hopes to salvage their slim playoff chances. Either way, LaVine seemed just as unfazed about the uncertainty as he did with his lengthy recovery and the Bulls’ recent struggles. He learned his own will and talent can at least overcome those issues in the short term. “The experience helps you out,” LaVine said. “I’ve gone through ups, downs, highs, lows. You can only control what you can. The thing that you can control is your mindset going out there with the team and playing the way that you can and playing as hard as you could.”