The day after the New York Knicks lost their second game of the season to the Celtics, a new All-Star trade target hit the market.
New York is 5-5 in its first 10 games, best for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Sure, the team was without RJ Barrett in Boston, but many believe the Knicks are still one star away from being a contender. Joel Embiid has been a hot name, but between Tyrese Maxey’s hot start and Philadelphia having a league-best 8-1 record, New York may have to say goodbye to its Embiid trade dreams.
There’s another Eastern Conference All-Star the Knicks could pursue, even if he’s nowhere near Embiid’s level.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Bulls and Zach LaVine are open to exploring a profession (subscription required).
Should the Knicks contact the Bulls about a potential Zach LaVine trade?
Leon Rose and the front office would be doing the organization a disservice if they didn’t contact us. regarding a Zach LaVine trade. New York has the assets to make a deal, and given that Chicago is open to trading him, it’s worth a phone call.
At this point, the Knicks know whether or not they want to seriously pursue LaVine. It’s not really surprising that both sides aren’t opposed to a trade. The Bulls are 4-7 to start 2023-24 (12th in the East). The LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic trio has been together since 2021-22, and over the past two seasons, Chicago has only had one first-round playoff exit to show for it.
If the Knicks were seriously interested in a trade for LaVine, it would likely mean giving up RJ Barrett. When you compare LaVine and Barrett’s stats side by side, Barrett has been the better player this season.
LaVine is averaging a team-high 21.9 points per game on 40.9% shooting from the field and a career-low 30.9% from three. Barrett is averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting an efficient 48.7% from the floor and 50% from deep. LaVine has played in all 11 games for the Bulls, while Barrett has been limited to seven, with his most recent outing due to a migraine.
It’s more likely that LaVine will go to a contender, with the Sixers and Heat being two conference teams that come to mind. Maybe he’ll finally get his wish of playing alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles. After all, he is represented by Klutch Sports. Whatever happens, let’s hope Zach LaVine doesn’t end up in New York.
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