The NBA regular season schedule is nearing its halfway point, and the Western Conference is in chaos. The top spot is held firmly by the Thunder, while the bottom three teams - the Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Pelicans - are content with tanking. The middle 11 teams have formed a chaotic group, with not much difference between them. According to StatMuse, the threshold for the top six in the West this season is estimated to be around a 58% win rate, and the play-in tournament threshold is expected to be around 52%. This would be enough to secure a playoff spot in the East. For a long time, the East has not received much attention, but in the past six seasons, three Eastern Conference teams have won championships: the Raptors in 2019, the Bucks in 2021, and the Celtics in 2024. They have indeed benefited greatly from their divisional advantages, with many teams being easy wins.
To be precise, starting from the eighth-placed Pistons in the East, the overall competitiveness is not very strong. This includes the Nets and Bulls who are preparing to tank, the Raptors, Hornets, and Wizards who are on the way to tanking, and the 76ers who do not want to tank but have been mediocre. To be honest, the rise of young teams like the Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, Cavaliers, and Magic proves that tanking and rebuilding is not necessarily a bad thing. It may only take a 2-3 year cycle to complete a framework reshuffle. However, there is one team that cannot even tank because their team leader has been on the trading block for a year and cannot be moved! That team is the Bulls, and their leader is LaVine. American media has listed a set of data: in the last five games, LaVine averaged 32.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the team to a 3-2 record, and asked: which team needs him?
After Christmas, LaVine scored 30+ points in six out of seven games, averaging 31 points, which is already among the top three in the league during the same period. In addition, this season, LaVine's shooting percentages are as high as 51% + 44%, with an effective field goal percentage (61.6%) and true shooting percentage (64.4%) both within the top 30 in the league, making him the most efficient among all guards in the league! However, it is awkward that according to insider Amick, in late December, the Nuggets were interested in trading away Porter Jr. and Naji, and the Bulls happily accepted the Nuggets' initial negotiations. However, the talks quickly stalled. After a lengthy tug-of-war between the two sides, the window for LaVine to join the Nuggets has basically closed, although it has not completely ended, neither team has the willingness to continue negotiations.
What's the problem? LaVine still has 3 years left on his contract, earning 43.03millionthisseason,followedby46 million and $48.97 million in the next two years. Over the past three years, although LaVine has been the leader of the Bulls, he has also been a locker room cancer, attacking coaches, exploding on the bench, refusing to participate in post-game review meetings, and even deciding to undergo surgery and end his season last year without the Bulls management being able to control him! An anonymous source from the Bulls bluntly stated that LaVine only cares about his stats and has never thought about helping the team win. He has been with the Bulls for more than 7 years and has only made the playoffs once, which was led by DeRozan. Moreover, LaVine is already 30 years old, so what more can we expect from him? Even more awkwardly, during last year's offseason, the Bulls proactively approached the 76ers' management seeking a trade.
The 76ers casually mentioned wanting a first-round pick from the Bulls, and the Bulls readily agreed, scaring the 76ers into quickly signing Paul George. Including being rejected by the Clippers and Warriors, the Bulls have approached more than half of the league's teams without getting any response. Also, the Bulls initially rejected the Warriors' offer of at least two first-round picks plus Moody for Caruso, but then accepted the Thunder's Giddey, who can become a free agent this summer and leave without any consequences. The Bulls have already suffered a big loss in rebuilding their team, and they do not want to continue to fill the hole with LaVine. Therefore, there was a huge disagreement in the trade negotiations with the Nuggets: from a salary perspective, LaVine's 43millioncontractmatchesdirectlywithPorterJr.andNaji′scombined44.7 million contract. However, according to sources, the Nuggets wanted the Bulls to attach a first-round pick, which the Bulls were unwilling to do.
Even more frustratingly, columnist Sidley confirmed that in the past year or so, apart from the Nuggets, no other team has shown obvious interest in LaVine! How can the Bulls get rid of LaVine? The Bulls have already fallen into a vicious cycle: LaVine has unlimited shooting rights to brush up his stats, which the Bulls tacitly accept because they want to increase LaVine's trade value, but this also suppresses the growth space for young players. Even so, despite LaVine averaging 33 points, no one is interested in him. As the Nuggets' team reporter said, Porter does not occupy the ball, averaging 20 points with diligence and dedication. Can LaVine do that? No, LaVine is similar to Butler, with high aspirations. How could he possibly become a blue-collar worker?
The Bulls have 7 first-round picks in the next 7 years, but only 3 of them can be traded, and there are 5 second-round picks that can be traded. According to American media analysis, the worst outcome for the Bulls would be to keep LaVine until the last year of his contract, allowing them to save their first-round picks. However, this also means that the team will not be particularly comfortable over these two seasons. As for LaVine, it is indeed quite pitiful due to his personality, injury-prone physique, and his age is not young anymore! Other teams are not foolish either. If he continues playing like this, unless he does not want to retire and is willing to accept some mid-level or even minimum contracts in the future, his career is really coming to an end.
