The Zach LaVine saga continues to provide twists and turns while he remains a popular name to monitor on the NBA trade rumor carousel. But the latest report surrounding LaVine and the Bulls' pursuit of a deal involves more than just the three years and $138M left on his contract.
Now, it's back to finger-pointing and concerns over the "what if" scenario where LaVine remained in Chicago.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times , Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas is concerned about LaVine's "distrust" with the front office and head coach Billy Donovan. The exec reportedly believes this could lead to a "dysfunctional" locker room.
"According to an NBA source attending Summer League play, not only does Karnisovas want to trade guard Zach LaVine because of the three years and $138 million left on his contract, but also because he is concerned the distrust LaVine has with the front office — and specifically with coach Billy Donovan — might lead to a ‘‘dysfunctional’’ locker room," Cowley writes.
To make matters worse, Cowley cites that a primary buffer between LaVine and Donovan was DeMar DeRozan, who was just dealt to the Sacramento Kings via a sign-and-trade.
All things being considered, the Bulls' push to trade LaVine is bound to continue to intensify as training camp draws near. But with the market surrounding the guard virtually non-existent at this point, any real return Chicago hoped to get for LaVine, they may need to toss out the window to get a trade done.
