NBA Rumors: Hot trade deadline candidate to miss a month due to injury

NBA Rumors: Will Zach LaVine's already declining trade market take another dip because of his recent injury?

The Chicago Bulls have struggled so far this season. After making the conscious effort to run it back with the same core heading into the season, the hope was that the team would be able to find something that they hadn't in the first two seasons in the Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan build. However, that exactly hasn't played out this season. So much so that it's led to the belief that there will be at least one big change for the Bulls at the NBA Trade Deadline.

With the way the reporting has gone recently, it would be surprising if the Bulls didn't trade LaVine before the deadline. The noise is simply too loud at this point. However, you can't help but wonder if a recent injury (which is slated to keep him out for 3-4 weeks) will hurt his already dwindling trade value.

It's already been reported that LaVine's trade value around the league is low. Add in this recent injury that could keep him out until January, and it's only going to make the Bulls' trade deadline plans that much more difficult to carry out.

Are the Chicago Bulls better without Zach LaVine?

Chicago is going to have difficulty in trading LaVine and this recent injury doesn't isn't going to do them any favors, but it's something that almost has to be done at this point. And the evidence surrounding that narrative seems to be growing.

In the four games that LaVine has been out of the lineup for the Bulls recently, they're 3-1. I'm not going to say that the Bulls are flat-out better without LaVine in the lineup but there could be something to that.

Maybe it's not having a lame-duck player in the lineup, knowing the inevitability, or the fact that the team plays more desperately without him. Either way, there is something that has begun to change for the Bulls.

The next couple of weeks should be an interesting experiment of that. With LaVine out for the next few weeks, the Bulls are going to get a good taste of what their team could look like without him. And that could either push them closer to trading him or perhaps make their decision to play the waiting game that much easier.

We're going to find out a lot about the Bulls, both on and off the floor.