Zach LaVine Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bucks, LaVine, Reed, LeVert

December 18th, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Perhaps wary of the fate of the Lakers and Pacers, who both struggled in the immediate aftermath of the finale of last season’s inaugural in-season tournament, the Bucks‘ post-game celebration after winning Tuesday’s NBA Cup final was decidedly muted, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The NBA had set up a champagne celebration room for the winner of Tuesday’s game, but it went untouched following Milwaukee’s victory (Twitter link via Ben Golliver of The Washington Post).

“The NBA puts a big tournament in front of you, and you go win that motherf—-er. It’s as simple as that,” forward/center Bobby Portis said as part of a larger quote. “They put something in front of you. You set a goal. You chop wood every day. Carry water. And eventually, you get here and you get a medal around your neck. … And then you get back to work on Thursday, which is what we signed up for. It’s part of the gig.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Citing a source, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says there’s “light momentum” on the possibility of the Nuggets pursuing a trade for Bulls star Zach LaVine. According to Cowley, Chicago’s front office remains steadfast in its desire to avoid adding draft capital to move off LaVine’s maximum-salary contract, though the team is open to potential pick swaps.
Paul Reed‘s new one-year deal with the Pistons is fully guaranteed, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms (via Twitter). Reed, who was waived and then re-signed for financial flexibility, will receive the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum.
He hasn’t received much, if any, national recognition, but Caris LeVert is playing arguably the best — and most efficient — basketball of his career for the Cavaliers and is making a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year consideration. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) has the story and quotes on LeVert, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Nuggets Show Significant Interest In Zach LaVine

December 17th, 2024 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have interest in making a deal for Bulls wing Zach LaVine, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tony Jones report.

Denver is active in the market for an offensive upgrade at the wing position to ease some of the burden off Nikola Jokic. Despite a history of injury issues, LaVine would certainly fit that bill. He’s averaging 21.7 points and 4.2 assists per game this season and holds career shooting percentages of 46.6% from the field and 38.4% on three-pointers.

LaVine is also on a sizable contract — $43MM this season, $45.9MM next season and a $48.9MM player option for 2026/27.

LaVine isn’t the only player the Nuggets are looking at. They have also expressed interest or have had preliminary trade discussions regarding Jordan Poole, Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, per The Athletic. Brandon Ingram, currently sidelined by an ankle injury, is on the Nuggets’ radar too, SNY TV’s Ian Begley tweets.

However, league sources tell Amick and Jones that Denver’s focus on LaVine in recent talks has been “significant.”

Any big trade Denver might make would likely involve Michael Porter Jr., according to The Athletic duo. Porter is making $35.8MM this season, $38.3MM next season and $40.8MM in 2026/27.

Porter is off to a strong start statistically, averaging 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. He’s shooting 51.2% overall and 38.5% on three-point attempts.

So why is Denver willing to part with him? The Nuggets are seeking help in the form of someone who is able to create offense. Jokić and Jamal Murray are the only players on the roster who are consistently capable of creating their own shots, The Athletic notes.

Little-used forward Zeke Nnaji, a 2020 first-round pick, is also available. He’s signed through the 2027/28 season on a four-year, $32MM deal that includes a player option.

Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura

December 17th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.

The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.

Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.

And-Ones: All-Trade Buzz Team, Cotton, Expansion, Oni

December 16th, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) has revealed his All-Trade Buzz team, made up of 10 players whom scouts and executives around the NBA are keeping a close eye on now that trade season has opened. According to Marks, Dennis Schröder would’ve been one of the headliners, but he was dealt just before the list was published. Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, D’Angelo Russell, Bobby Portis, and Zach LaVine are among the players who made the cut.

LaVine, who was also viewed as a trade candidate last season, has been healthier and more productive in 2024/25 and is one year closer to the end of his maximum-salary contract. However, the market for the Bulls star is still expected to be very limited due to his substantial cap hit and the restrictions imposed by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, says Marks.

“If we were operating under the 2017 CBA and there were no apron rules, I could make a case to my owner on LaVine,” one team source told ESPN. “But his salary boxes you into a corner on how we can add to the roster.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Bryce Cotton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since 2016, but the 32-year-old guard has caught the attention of teams in the NBA, EuroLeague, and Asia with his recent play in Australia’s National Basketball League, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. As a member of the Perth Wildcats, Cotton is averaging a league-leading 27.8 points per game on .507/.464/.855 shooting. He has scored at least 40 points in each of his past four outings, including an NBL-record 59 on November 30 vs. the New Zealand Breakers. According to Urbonas, Perth has offered Cotton an extension that would make him the highest-paid player in NBL history, but he could test his options in free agency in February or March after the current season ends.
With the NBA in Las Vegas this week for the semifinals and final of the NBA Cup, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes that the city already feels like part of the league and explains why it seems inevitable that Vegas will get an expansion team. Meanwhile, Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the possibility of expansion to Mexico City, examining the potential complications and outlining why it’s still probably “many years off” from becoming a potential reality, in the words of commissioner Adam Silver.
Former NBA swingman Miye Oni has signed with Badalona for the rest of the 2024/25 season, the Spanish team announced in a press release. Oni appeared in 80 NBA regular season games for Utah from 2019-22 and was in camp this fall with the Grizzlies before being waived at the end of the preseason.

Central Notes: Bryant, LaVine, Ball, Vucevic, Harris

December 15th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers didn’t waste any time getting Thomas Bryant on the court. After officially being acquired on Sunday, Bryant had seven points and two rebounds in 11 minutes against the Pelicans.

“It was a little hectic but everybody accepted me and they helped me through the whole time. It felt great being out there with the guys,” Bryant said via a video posted by the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak.

Bryant provides depth at the center spot, a position where Indiana has suffered two season-ending injuries. He appeared in only 10 games with Miami this season.

“I know there’s a big need to have another ‘five’ here. Just trying to fill that role here with the guys and talking with them as well, just trying to see what I can bring, what I can do with them. … They just want me to play my game,” Bryant said.

We have more from the Central Division:

Bulls wing Zach LaVine is questionable to play against Toronto on Monday due to lower back spasms, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweets. LaVine is averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season.
The Bulls continue to aggressively shop Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic and LaVine, among other players, as they look to stay in the loaded 2025 draft lottery, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Chicago owes San Antonio a first-rounder but it’s top-10 protected for 2025. Moving LaVine’s contract this season is more of a pipe dream than a reality, the source told Cowley, unless there’s a major injury or another unexpected development.
The Pistons won’t have starting forward Tobias Harris against Miami on Monday. He’s dealing with a right thumb sprain, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

Central Rumors: Pacers, Turner, LaVine, Vucevic, Strus

December 13th, 2024 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Confirming a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) also hears the Pacers are pursuing a trade for a backup center. In fact, Fischer’s sources say Indiana is considered likely to acquire a reserve big man shortly after Dec. 15, when many players around the league become trade-eligible.

The Pacers have an open spot on their 15-man roster and are operating approximately $2.2MM below the luxury tax line. That gives them the flexibility to trade for a player on a one-year, minimum-salary contract without becoming a projected taxpayer.

Here are some more rumors and notes from the Central Division:

Pacers center Myles Turner is on an expiring $19.9MM contract and is not eligible for an in-season veteran extension. That means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 at 28 years old. Evidently Indiana isn’t worried about losing him in free agency though, as the team hasn’t been discussing Turner in trade talks, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Zach LaVine is healthy and playing well for Chicago, but the Bulls still haven’t found any takers for his contract, and the two-time All-Star still hopes to eventually be dealt. “Nothing has changed,” one source close to the situation told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link).
In that same ESPN story, Tim Bontemps reports that people around the NBA don’t expect much of a market for Bulls center Nikola Vucevic either. As Bontemps explains, Vucevic is having a great offensive season, but people think his elite shooting percentages will likely regress, and he’s a poor defender. According to Bontemps, the most important factor in the relative lack of interest in the two-time All-Star may be the market, or lack thereof, for centers. The 34-year-old will earn $20MM this season, followed by $21.5MM in ’25/26.
The Cavaliers are eager to get Max Strus back in their lineup, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who says Strus could be a more meaningful in-season addition than a trade. However, Strus’ debut will have to wait at least a few more days, as he’s been ruled out of Friday’s contest vs. Washington (Twitter link via Fedor). According to Grant Afseth of RG.org, Strus had planned to make his season debut on Friday, but his ankle didn’t respond as well as he’d hoped amid some “pretty hard” practices this week during the team’s ramp-up process. Big man Evan Mobley is questionable for Friday’s contest with a left ankle sprain, Afseth adds.

Bulls Notes: Smith, LaVine, Vucevic, Williams, Buzelis

December 11th, 2024 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Revenge wasn’t on Jalen Smith‘s mind when he faced the Pacers Friday night for the first time since leaving them over the summer to sign with the Bulls, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Given the financial realities of the situation, Smith and Indiana’s front office both seemed to understand going into last season that their relationship was about to end, Dopirak adds. Holding a $5.4MM player option, Smith felt it was in his best interest to seek a bigger contract in free agency, and the three-year, $27MM deal he got from Chicago was nearly double what the Pacers were paying him. With no hard feelings on either side, Smith welcomed Friday’s game as a chance to catch up with some old friends.

“Obviously, I wanted to be back in Indiana, but at the end of the day, it was the business part of the game,” he said. “All of them wished me luck. They all said they would be there to help me whenever I needed it. At the end of the day, I didn’t leave on bad terms. Obviously, being able to finally get my career going there, it was tough to leave, but at the end of the day it was just the business part of the game.”

Smith has been a solid addition in Chicago, averaging 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per night as the team’s primary backup center. His loss has been significant for Indiana, which doesn’t have a reliable big man off the bench since Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman both suffered season-ending injuries.

“Loved him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Smith. “He’s one of the most wonderful young men I’ve ever been around. Always in a great mood, high level of skill. He’s a great rebounder and he can really shoot the ball and he can block shots. He knows how to play. He’s a great teammate. I was really disappointed that we lost him, but I could really see that it was gonna happen. He’s just too good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Zach LaVine isn’t dominating the offense the way he has in the past, but he’s still scoring a lot because of improved efficiency, notes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine has only taken 20 shots five times this season, but he’s connecting at 50.6% from the field, a career-high 43.2% from beyond the arc and 80% on free throws. ‘‘There might be a game where I may need to go out there and try and lead the team offensively, but this year has been more about spurts,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t think that’s the style of play that we’re playing right now.’’
Center Nikola Vucevic is also benefiting from coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo offense, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Vucevic is averaging 21 PPG, which would be his highest total for a full season since he came to Chicago in a 2021 trade, and he’s shooting 58.7% from the floor, the best figure of his career. “I don’t think people understand how hard he works,” LaVine said. “We all made sacrifices — me, DeMar (DeRozan), Vooch — we all came together and we all took a little bit less of our game and tried to do better for the team. But I think Vooch took the biggest back seat for years.”
Patrick Williams plans to return Friday after missing 10 games with inflammation in his left foot, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Williams will likely be on a minutes restriction at first, but Mayberry notes that the team will eventually face a decision on how much his availability cuts into the playing time of rookie forward Matas Buzelis.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Buzelis, Defensive Woes, Ball

December 7th, 2024 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine‘s first steps toward overcoming the injuries that ruined last season took place in the boxing ring, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. After undergoing surgery in February to fix a nonunion Jones fracture in his right foot, LaVine sought a method of cardio training that wouldn’t put excess strain on the injured area. He turned to a California boxing gym to help build his fitness and endurance, and it also gave him a mental sharpness that has been useful on the basketball court.

“Those three-minute rounds — it’s you versus him,” LaVine said. “Any mistakes you make, he’ll knock you down. It takes mental fortitude to really lock into what you’re doing. That’s helped me this year where if I’m tired in the moment or I’m upset about something, I can think with a little bit more of a clear head. Playing basketball is not as hard as somebody trying to knock you out.”

Poe notes that LaVine needs extra endurance to fit into coach Billy Donovan’s new offense, which has the Bulls playing at the fastest rate in league history with 104.82 possessions per 48 minutes. Even though the attack hasn’t been efficient so far, Chicago ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game. LaVine is playing fewer minutes and seeing fewer shots than in past seasons, but Donovan credits him for buying into the system.

“He’s really tried to help us establish the identity and the style of play,” Donovan said. “He’s been really selective. We haven’t really taken a ton of non-paint twos. Our shot profile has been good. The level of uncontested threes we’ve gotten has been good.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Donovan has been impressed by the fearlessness Matas Buzelis has shown as a rookie, Poe adds in a separate story. Even though his first NBA season has been filled with ups and downs, Buzelis hasn’t let any setbacks affect his approach to the game. “He’s not afraid of failure or messing up,” Donovan said. “He gets disappointed or down because he wants to do better, but it doesn’t paralyze him. I’ve seen some players who are just afraid to make mistakes and they just don’t do anything. He’s not that way.”
Donovan is looking forward to a break in the schedule next week to try to fix the Bulls’ porous defense, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Speaking to reporters after his team surrendered 132 points in Friday’s loss to Indiana, Donovan indicated that defense will be the priority during an upcoming four-day stretch without games. “I don’t want to place it all on practice, but we do need that,” he said. “The way the schedule has been in November, we do need it. We’ve got to figure out ways, all of us, coaches, players, solve just the quick things that happen in a game that leads to breakdowns.”
Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier of ESPN take an inside look at Lonzo Ball‘s long rehabilitation process, including the “Hail Mary” operation that helped him resume his career.

Bulls Notes: Williams, Giddey, White, Ball, LaVine

December 5th, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who has been out since November 18 due to inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot, won’t play in either game of the team’s back-to-back set on Thursday (in San Antonio) and Friday (vs. Indiana), tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.

Although Williams didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday, he did work out individually, according to head coach Billy Donovan, who said the 23-year-old’s window to potentially return opens next week.

Given that he has yet to practice, Williams may not be ready to go for Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia, but the Bulls will have four days off after that before hosting the Hornets next Friday — it sounds like he could return for that contest.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

While he admits that his first 22 games this season have been “up and down,” Josh Giddey said he’s doing his best to help the Bulls in any way he can and isn’t thinking about trying to make the team look good for its decision to give up Alex Caruso for him over the summer, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic relays. “Anytime you get traded for a player like (Caruso), I mean, there was a lot of talk about it, whether it was a good trade or a bad trade,” Giddey said. “I don’t buy too much into that. I’m confident in myself and what I can do. These guys make it easy for me to play. I’m not trying to come in here and be anything more than myself. Find ways I can fit in and make this group better.”
Coby White will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday due to a left ankle sprain, per Johnson (Twitter links), though Mayberry suggests White shouldn’t be out for an extended period. Another Bulls guard, Lonzo Ball, has been ruled out for Thursday’s game, according to Johnson, but that’s just a case of the team managing his usage in a back-to-back — the plan is to have him active on Friday against the Pacers.
Coming off a season-ending injury, surrounded by trade rumors, and facing questions about the size of contract, Zach LaVine could easily have come into camp as a disgruntled star this fall, but the Bulls continue to be impressed by his positive attitude, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine told reporters on Wednesday that he’s “in a really good spot mentally,” which hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Billy Donovan. “Whatever his frustrations were, they were,” Donovan said. “But he’s been able to digest that, go through that himself mentally, and get to the place he is now. I really respect everything he’s done. … He’s in a really good headspace.”
LaVine added that he’s enjoyed being called upon for more challenging defensive assignments this season, as Cowley notes. “This year has opened my eyes up a little bit to where you look at guys that I watched: Kobe (Bryant), Michael (Jordan), D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), and it’s like, ‘I’ve always been in great shape, but OK, you have to be in top-tier … strong too.'” LaVine said. “Yeah, it takes a little bit away (from the offense), but mentally that’s where you have to dig deep and see how much you want it. I like taking on those challenges right now.”

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, B. Brown, Stewart, Springer, Bulls

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Landry Shamet dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, scuttling his chances of making the Knicks‘ opening night roster, reports have indicated that the club is highly likely to re-sign him if and when he gets healthy.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms as much and adds another detail to those reports. According to Scotto, if Shamet returns, the hope in New York is that Matt Ryan – who is currently on a non-guaranteed contract – will clear waivers and rejoin the club on a two-way deal.

The Knicks have an open 15-man roster spot, but don’t have enough breathing room below their hard cap to carry both players on standard deals, so Ryan would have to be cut if Shamet re-signs.

Here are a few more rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

Although the Raptors declined offers of multiple second-round picks for Bruce Brown at last season’s trade deadline, there’s a widespread belief that the versatile swingman will be back on the trade block this season, per Scotto. Brown, who is on an expiring $23MM contract, continues to make his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and appears to be getting closer to making his season debut.
Isaiah Stewart‘s demotion to a bench role this season for the first time since his rookie year has led executives around the NBA to believe that the Pistons‘ big man will be available on the trade market this season, according to Scotto. Stewart is in the first season of a four-year, $60MM contract that features flat annual cap hits of $15MM.
Confirming previous reporting, Scotto says the Celtics gauged the trade market for Jaden Springer and his $4MM expiring contract in the fall. While there were teams willing to take on Springer if it means acquiring draft compensation from Boston, the C’s weren’t interested at that time in giving up draft capital to move off of the guard’s contract, Scotto reports. It will be interesting to see if that changes before the trade deadline.
Explaining the recent uptick in trade rumors surrounding the Bulls, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says, citing a source, that the only new development in Chicago is that the team is “starting to look at a more responsible asking price” for veterans like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls remain unwilling to attach a first-round pick to LaVine though, Cowley notes.