NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting four teams who could reemerge as a potential landing spot for Zach LaVine at the NBA Trade Deadline.
The Chicago Bulls are off to a 3-2 start and are playing an exciting brand of basketball. But perhaps the biggest development for the team revolves around the bounce-back play of Zach LaVine. Through the first five games of the season, LaVine has gone a long way in reestablishing himself as a potentially strong trade candidate heading into the deadline. As LaVine continues to play at a high level to begin the season, we explore five desperate teams who should reconsider pursuing a trade for the former two-time All-Star.
Utah Jazz
In what may be surprising to some, the Utah Jazz have gotten off to a 0-5 start to the season. Even though they have a relatively young roster, I'm not sure many expected the Jazz to struggle this much to open the year. But after signing Lauri Markkanen to a long-term extension this offseason, the onus is on the Jazz to try and surround him with a team that could compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
So far, that doesn't appear to be the case. If that is going to change, the team almost has to make an upgrade or two. One potential trade target that could make sense for the Jazz is Zach LaVine. He'd fill a role as another primary offensive player on the roster and could make some schematic sense next to Markkanen. Who knows if he's a player that would help this team take a huge step forward, but he would be a talent upgrade.
LaVine is far from a perfect player but he does make sense for a team like the Jazz. Realistically, it's hard to envision how this team is going to upgrade their roster in a big way over the next couple of seasons if it is not via trade. There could be several potential trade targets that make sense for this team heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. LaVine is likely going to be one of those players who will end up making a ton of sense, even more so if the asking price isn't astronomically high.
If LaVine's trade value does rebound over the next couple of months, the Jazz are certainly a team that should theoretically be involved in talks one way or another. A Markkanen-LaVine duo could help this young team as they look to rebound after an early-season hole to start the year.