Does this recent report mean that Zach LaVine is on his way out?

It’s no secret that Zach LaVine’s days in Chicago are limited. At 8-14, the Chicago Bulls don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. And we have already seen reports about the Bulls and LaVine expressing interest in a potential trade.

However, on Thursday, we received an update that may mean a trade is coming very, very soon.

Keeping LaVine Healthy

LaVine has missed the Bulls’ last three games with a mysterious foot injury (coincidentally, Chicago won all three of those games). And on Wednesday, we were informed that the two-time All-Star would be missing an additional three to four weeks with what is being called “right foot inflammation.”

The Bulls announce Zach LaVine will miss an additional 3-to-4 weeks with right foot inflammation.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 7, 2023

Now, let’s get one thing straight. You never, I repeat, never, want to speculate about whether a player does or does not have an injury. Being a professional athlete takes an immense toll on the human body. There is no question that LaVine is not 100% right now.

With that said, it would make sense for Chicago to be cautious with LaVine, especially if they were planning on moving him sometime before the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline.

If LaVine misses three to four weeks, that would push us past December 15th. That day matters because it is the first day that players who signed new contracts as free agents this past offseason are eligible to be traded again. This gives many teams more flexibility as they are trying to negotiate a potential deal to acquire the star two-guard.

The fact that this latest injury news means that LaVine won’t be back before that crucial date could mean that the Bulls aren’t going to wait until right before the deadline to pull the trigger on a deal. That makes sense since the Bulls actually own their 2024 first-round draft pick. If they are truly going to enter an all-out rebuild, they are going to want to try to lose as many games as possible. So, that means they will need to unload as much talent off this roster as soon as they can (you don’t want to be racking up any unnecessary wins).

Potential Zach LaVine Landing Spots

The Los Angeles Lakers have been the main team rumored in the LaVine sweepstakes. That will probably be the case with every disgruntled star player as long as LeBron James is in uniform.

Outside of the Lakers, some other interested teams (that have the assets to swing a trade and make sense from an on-court perspective) include the Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat.