Despite seeing a bit of traction on a potential deal earlier this week, don’t hold your breath on Zach LaVine landing with the Utah Jazz any time soon.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Jazz have since pulled out of discussions to trade for Zach LaVine alongside the Philadelphia 76ers. Stein detailed that while there may have been previous interest between the two sides, Utah’s intrigue on their side has since been “diminished.”
“League sources say Philadelphia continues to have little interest in LaVine and I have likewise been advised to dismiss Utah’s reported interest. The Bulls, remember, had trouble generating a market for LaVine when they could have attached Caruso to trade constructions. That option, obviously, no longer exists.”
– Marc Stein
While a fit of LaVine in SLC was hard to picture as is, the report from Stein seems to further bolster the doubt on a trade like this coming to form. The Chicago Bulls have consistently been searching for a deal centered around the 2x All-Star in recent months, but Utah might not be the ultimate destination.
LaVine is stuck on a massive three-year deal with over $137 million left to pay and will be fresh off a season-ending foot injury from 2023. The last campaign for the Bulls guard consisted of 25 games where he averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 45.2/34.9/85.4 shooting splits.
It’s a tough ask to facilitate a deal with that significant cap commitment, especially for a squad like the Jazz trying to build a championship contender as quickly as possible. Danny Ainge made his intentions widely clear for this roster earlier this offseason with his comments surrounding “big-game hunting,” but this might not be the ideal move to pull the trigger on.
All hope isn’t lost on seeing a LaVine deal at some point this summer, but you can at least cross one big name off the list of trade suitors.
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