Despite signing a five-year, $215 million contract with the Chicago Bulls in the offseason, 27-year-old guard Zach LaVine could find himself on a new team following the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
“The [Los Angeles] lakers, [Miami] Heat, [New York] Knicks and [Dallas] Mavericks have consistently been mentioned by league personnel as holding motivations to land LaVine if the time does arrive,” Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports.
“Portland also showed interest in signing LaVine last offseason,” he continued.
“Atlanta loomed as a potential LaVine destination before the Hawks splurged for Dejounte Murray.”
For those keeping score at home, there are at least four teams keeping tabs on LaVine.
As the Atlanta Hawks have hit their stride and Dejounte Murray is playing even better than franchise cornerstone Trae Young, it’s unlikely that they still have LaVine in their crosshairs. Additionally, with the Blazers focused on re-signing forward Jerami Grant and the growth of fifth-year guard Anfernee Simons, Portland doesn’t seem like a logical destination for LaVine either.
However, the quartet of teams that were listed by Fischer all have a need for a player like LaVine.
While LaVine isn’t a strong defender, he’s still one of the most talented perimeter playmakers in the league on the offensive end, with averages of 25.0 points and 4.5 assists per game over the last five seasons. What makes him an even more attractive target for interested teams is his outside shooting, as LaVine is shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range for his career.
The Lakers, Heat and Mavs, specifically, could use a volume scorer with a love for the 3-ball.
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