Should the Warriors Trade for Former UCLA Star?

The Golden State Warriors could try to swing a trade with the Chicago Bulls to acquire former UCLA star Zach LaVine before the NBA trade deadline.

Jan 19, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) bows his head during the singing of the national anthem wearing a t-shirt honoring Martin Luther King Jr. before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors are clearly in need of some sort of help before the NBA trade deadline, and Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine may be the answer.

LaVine has been viewed as a trade candidate since last year, but the Bulls have been unable to move him up until now.

Now, Chicago has just a couple of weeks left to trade him this season, or else it will have to repeat the process again in the summer.

The problem is that LaVine's $43-million paycheck this year makes him a rather difficult salary to match, which is why the field for the former UCLA star is fairly thin.

However, the Warriors could be emerging as a potential trade fit, and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic feels that it may be an avenue worth exploring, even if LaVine may not exactly represent a be-all-end-all solution.

"Getting LaVine doesn’t solve all of their problems. But an inability or unwillingness to get him perhaps highlights some of them," Thompson wrote.

The other question is whether or not Golden State would mortgage any of its future just to add LaVine.

"To be clear, the Warriors should be confident," added Thompson. "They should believe they can make the playoffs this year with the right moves, go into the offseason and make more moves, with whatever draft picks remain. They should believe they can be all in right now, maximizing their precious time left with [Stephen] Curry, and still believe they’ll be fine in three years with however many picks they have."

It has become very evident that Curry needs another scorer alongside of him, and LaVine is as pure of a scorer as it can get.

The 29-year-old is averaging 24 points per game on 51.4/45.0/81.6 shooting split this season in what has actually been the most efficient campaign of his career.

Of course, the problem with LaVine is that he is also due $46 million next year and has a $49-million player option for the 2026-27 campaign. Because of that, coupled with the fact that the UCLA product has a very checkered injury history, you can see why the Warriors may be reluctant to pull the trigger.

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