The New York Knicks could luck up on the missing coveted All-Star piece to their championship puzzle this summer.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer recently reported that the Chicago Bulls could look to unload Zach LaVine as the team strives to enter a new chapter in their development.
Zach LaVine has the All-Star intangibles that match the Knicks’ fabric
LaVine is what many former players and movers-and-shakers in NBA circles characterize as a “dog.” The former two-time Slam Dunk champion is an electric scorer with nuclear capabilities.
The 2020 Olympic gold medalist averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 45.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.9 percent from the three this season. Those numbers were way down from the 25.5 points and 4.5 assists on 47.9 percent shooting from the floor he averaged in the four seasons prior.
LaVine is not only a dynamic scorer, but also a reliable clutch shooter. He’s had his share of big-time buckets down the stretches of games in his tenure with the Bulls. He’s a player the Knicks could greatly benefit from. He plays fast, has jaw-dropping range, and can get going in the open court.
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Knicks have the cards to entice the Bulls to deal LaVine this summer
The Knicks would have to make salaries match to execute a blockbuster deal. As it stands, they could try to move the Bulls to deal one of their franchise cornerstones for a couple of crucial pieces that helped them reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season. LaVine will make roughly $40 million in 2024-25 and see his earnings cap out at roughly $49 million in his player option 2026-27 campaign. He’d likely cost New York Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart, or Donte DiVincenzo.
The two-time All-Star could be worth it in the short and long term. He and Jalen Brunson would instantly be considered one of the best backcourts in basketball, and if OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein return to the Big Apple for next year, they’d be able to surround LaVine with defense and shooting.
