4 teams ready if Bulls put Zach LaVine on trade block

Despite signing a five-year, $215 million deal with the Chicago Bulls this offseason, 27-year-old guard Zach LaVine could find himself on a new team after the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

“The [Los Angeles] Lakers, [Miami] Heat, [New York] Knicks and [Dallas] Mavericks have always been mentioned by league staff as motivation to land LaVine if the time is right,” reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

“Portland also showed interest in signing LaVine last offseason,” he continues.

“Atlanta was looming as a potential destination for LaVine before the Hawks splurged on Dejounte Murray.”

For those keeping score at home, there are at least four teams keeping tabs on LaVine.

With the Atlanta Hawks hitting their stride and Dejounte Murray playing even better than franchise cornerstone Trae Young, they’re unlikely to have LaVine in their sights anymore. Plus, with the Blazers focused on re-signing forward Jerami Grant and growing fifth-year guard Anfernee Simons, Portland doesn’t seem like a logical destination for LaVine either.

However, the quartet of teams listed by Fischer all need a player like LaVine.

Although LaVine isn’t a solid defenseman, he’s still one of the league’s most talented perimeter playmakers on the offensive end, averaging 25.0 points and 4.5 assists per game over the course of his career. of the past five seasons. What makes him an even more attractive target for interested teams is his outside shooting, as LaVine is shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range for his career.

The Lakers, Heat and Mavs, in particular, could use a volume scorer with a love for 3-ball.