Zach LaVine’s challenging season peaked on Saturday afternoon, as the Chicago Bulls announced the two-time NBA All-Star guard will miss the rest of the season due to foot surgery.
After sitting out 17 games earlier in the season with the same injury, LaVine made a comeback to play in seven games before re-injuring it by spraining his ankle.
LaVine’s 2023-24 season concludes with him playing in only 25 of the team’s 49 games, posting averages of 19.5 points and 3.9 assists, with a shooting percentage that fell short of the high marks he achieved in the preceding three years.
This development is a major setback for both the Bulls and LaVine, especially considering the team intends to trade him before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls Updates
LaVine’s history of injuries, including a left ACL tear in 2017 and a knee arthroscopy in 2022, is further complicated by this latest foot surgery. He expressed his concerns about the injury in early December when he first had to take a break from playing.
“It bugs you, a boney, prominent area,” LaVine said then. “You really don’t want to start messing around with that, that fifth metatarsal area and it gets more and more irritated. It’s just smart to calm it down now to where I can get back to 100% and hopefully finish the season strong and help everybody out.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls Updates
The Bulls have relied on Coby White more heavily during LaVine’s injury-riddled season, along with Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu on the perimeter. With LaVine sidelined for the remainder of the season, Chicago’s trade deadline plans to be sellers could be something to monitor.
