Jazz Must Steer Cleer of Getting Involved in Zach LaVine Trade Rumors

One of the hottest topics surrounding the NBA currently centers around the future of G Zach LaVine with the Chicago Bulls. After spending the last seven years of his career with the franchise, the stars may be aligning to see the 2x All-Star finding a new home in the coming weeks.

The direction in Chicago has remained an enigma across the past few months. With a sluggish 4-8 start to the season without any stellar young pieces to build around, it inevitably leads to some questions about whether this roster needs any moves made. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that LaVine and the Bulls have become increasingly open to the idea of parting ways, opening the floodgates of a potential blockbuster going down early in the year.

Developing: NBA teams are probing the availability of Bulls two-time All-Star Zach LaVine and there is increased openness from both sides about exploring a trade, sources say.

Details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/2UvELP2lMG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 14, 2023

The nine-year vet has had a shakier start than usual to his 2023-24 campaign. Through 12 games, he’s averaging his lowest point total (21.7 PPG) since joining the franchise in 2017, also posting his third-worst TS% of his career at 54.2%.

There’s been a collection of franchises thrown into the trade machine to potentially acquire LaVine, notably teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat expected to enter into the mix. However, a team that may lie under the radar is the Utah Jazz. They’re stacked with a haul of appealing assets to offer over, also having some previous chemistry between LaVine and All-Star F Lauri Markkanen from their time in Chicago.

Jazz fans are well aware of the type of commotion Danny Ainge likes to create on the trade market, so seeing some involvement in a move like this wouldn’t be the most shocking revelation. But, while the idea of adding him to the Jazz might be appealing, taking a step back to look at the bigger picture should add a bit more hesitancy to the concept.

When looking at what LaVine can bring to a prospective new franchise, the answer is some stellar offensive production. While his counting stats early this season may not be reflective of that, being in a new situation might bring some rejuvenation. At his best, he can be a 25+ PPG scorer with the ability to create his shot on all levels of the floor. For many teams, this would be a very coveted player to add to your roster.

However, the Jazz have team needs that don’t quite align with what LaVine would offer. Offensively, they ranked top 10 in the league in terms of offensive rating a season ago, and currently sit at 14th for this year. While the unit did see some initial struggles surrounding ball security, the lack of facilitating, and decision-making, things have been looking much more optimistic with the choice to start Keyonte George.

The real issues stem from the defensive side of the ball. The Jazz currently sit at a defensive rating of 119.3, placing them in the bottom three in the league. Instead of pooling in assets to acquire another scorer, this team could be better suited to seek out players that project better defensively.

LaVine is a great two-guard when it comes to scoring the rock, but not exactly anyone’s first pick when it comes to finding someone to get consistent stops. It almost makes the fit of Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton redundant given that they fill the same role on this roster as Zach would.

Especially after seeing how well Clarkson has performed with the recent shift of George in the starting lineup, pivoting off of that into a player who’s performing subjectively worse at this point in the season seems ill-advised. In the past three games in which George and Clarkson have started alongside each other, JC has averaged 29.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals on 55.7% shooting from the field.

So, in a package that would likely include some combination of draft assets and some sizeable contracts to match LaVine’s $43 million annual salary, it’s just too much to invest for the Jazz.

During this rebuild in Utah, patience remains a virtue. Sure, the ex-Bull pairing of LaVine in Markkanen in Salt Lake City sounds exciting, but better opportunities and fits will arrive. Taking the time to develop and mesh with this young and promising core is the ideal way to go rather than making a sudden mid-season move to marginally improve in the short term.

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