Veteran Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine has long been the source of rampant trade speculation. Early in the 2023-24 season, LaVine had to sit out with a foot injury. Chicago had stumbled to a miserable 5-14 start and looked like one of the NBA's worst teams, as the chemistry between LaVine and his Bulls colleagues looked to have reached an all-time nadir.A funny thing happened when the 6-foot-5 UCLA product sat, however.
The Bulls' current core, led by the 28-year-old LaVine, aging All-NBA forward DeMar DeRozan aging center Nikola Vucevic, Caruso, Patrick Williams, the contract of Lonzo Ball, and now an ascendant Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, had middling success across its three seasons together. Chicago made just one playoff appearance and finished with more than a .