The Philadelphia 76ers’ trade interest in Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine has been “overstated,” according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
LaVine is open to getting traded by the Bulls. He would like to land with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Sixers, San Antonio Spurs or Sacramento Kings, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
However, since LaVine doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, he can’t control where he gets traded.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Sixers are open to using the assets they acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade to acquire a third star next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, since Philadelphia has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, general manager Daryl Morey is under no pressure to make a trade.
The Sixers are 10-3 on the season. Maxey and Embiid have been playing very well and the role players on the team have been producing nicely. Even though LaVine is a talented scorer, his lack of defensive skills could hurt the Sixers.
LaVine, who scored a career-high 51 points this season against the Detroit Pistons, is averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arc and 87.0% from the free-throw line. The UCLA product signed a five-year, $215 million contract in the summer of 2022.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
LaVine has only made the playoffs once in his career. That was in 2022. The Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 playoffs in five games, with LaVine averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the five-game series.
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