It looks like the Chicago Bulls are finally prepared to rip off the band-aid. The Bulls and guard Zach LaVine are becoming more willing to consider a trade, according to a report published on Tuesday by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania listed the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers as teams that were “expected to have a level of interest.”
“LaVine and his representation hold several preferred landing spots,” according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports on Friday. These include the Sixers, Lakers, and Heat in addition to the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs. Fischer cautioned that the Sixers are unlikely to move quickly, if at all, on LaVine.
“It has always seemed more likely the Sixers continue to evaluate this roster in the context of [Tyrese] Maxey’s rise into All-Star form, and perhaps All-NBA consideration, before acting too swiftly to acquire a player and eliminate the precious cap space Philadelphia values ahead of next summer — which no other contender, in the Sixers’ view, should be able to match,” wrote Fischer.
“Front-office staff members who have worked with Philadelphia President Daryl Morey in the past assert that the Sixers would seriously consider trading for a number of players—possibly on a shortlist—if they became available at this early point in the season. Even though LaVine might be acquired closer to the trade deadline in February, he doesn’t seem to meet that description.”
The inability of Marcus Morris ($17.1 million), Nicolas Batum ($11.7 million), Robert Covington ($11.7 million), and Kenyon Martin Jr. ($1.9 million) to be aggregated with any other contracts until January 1st is the immediate barrier to trading for LaVine. LaVine is making $40.1 million this season, so any trade involving the Sixers would require them to pay him at least $31.9 million in salary. Tobias Harris ($39.3 million) and Joel Embiid ($47.6 million) are the only two tradeable contracts they currently have in LaVine’s price range.
The Sixers, led by new head coach Nick Nurse, anticipate continuing to assess their reorganized roster between now and January 1. They can find any obvious weaknesses on their roster over the course of the next month and a half, after which the front office can work to address them either in time for the trade deadline on February 8th or during the upcoming offseason.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey was informed by sources that the Sixers “are pleased with their early play and newfound depth and will likely wait until later in the season to explore trade opportunities when needs will be more evident or to shore up the team in the event of an injury.” Pompey stated that the Sixers “believe a patient approach also aligns with the fact that they’re expected to have more cap space than any contender this offseason.”
If the Sixers waive all of their other free agents except for Maxey, they will have more than $55 million in cap space available for use the following summer. However, team president Daryl Morey has expressed a desire to use that cap space as soon as possible. By doing this, the Sixers would be able to play as an over-the-cap team while holding onto Harris, De’Anthony Melton, and the other free agents they currently have.
The Sixers will probably come back and try to work out a deal with the Bulls if by early February they haven’t traded LaVine somewhere else. Yet, LaVine doesn’t appear to be at the top of the Sixers’ list of possible trade targets, according to team president Daryl Morey’s recent remarks on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast.
“I would say first off, they need to be pretty solid on both ends,” he stated. It becomes increasingly difficult for your best players to be great in one area as the playoffs approach. Although extremely rare, it has worked. Additionally, we probably need them to have some playmaking, connecting, and ball-moving skills. We fall a little short on that, and the playoffs are when it matters most.”
While LaVine is by no means a top-tier defender, he does possess some of the playmaking qualities that Morey is looking for. Despite Maxey’s improvement this season, there would be good reason to be concerned about the long-term viability of a Maxey-LaVine backcourt defensively. However, a Maxey-LaVine-Embiid trio’s offensive potential might exceed that.
For the next six to eight weeks, the Sixers probably want to assess their own roster and determine what their main needs are. They will then be able to combine Morris, Batum, Covington, and Martin with other players in any trades that become necessary by that time. By that point in the season, other teams should also have a much better idea of whether they’re playoff contenders or going to the lottery, which usually creates a more distinct market of buyers or sellers.
LaVine may be the most recent celebrity to surface in trade rumors, but he won’t be the last. The Toronto Raptors will need to make some important decisions in the coming months because both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are expected to become free agents in July. Given Bradley Beal’s questionable health and the Los Angeles Clippers’ slow start under James Harden, one has to wonder if the team, along with the Phoenix Suns, are experiencing some buyer’s remorse. For what duration can the New Orleans Pelicans maintain the core group consisting of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson?
The Sixers should have a better idea of which players are available for trade by mid-to late January, and who won’t be. On the RTRS podcast, Morey acknowledged that the Sixers probably won’t acquire their ideal player—”We’ll probably have to get something and make it work,” he said—but they’re not in a rush to close that option.
Since they traded Harden to the Clippers, LaVine is the first big name to enter the market, but it will be interesting to see if anyone else signs on before the trade deadline. They will then be in a much better position than they are now to assess the range of options available to them.