NBA Trade Rumors: Bulls SG Zach LaVine to Magic?

The Orlando Magic continue to be linked to Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.

Nov 17, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris (14) defends Chicago Bulls / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic are rampant in trade rumors just one week after their playoff run ended at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Among the players linked to the Magic is Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

"The Magic has a cart load of cap space and could absorb a lot of Zach’s contract, which I assume would be the Bulls dream scenario assuming moving Zach is the offseason priority, which is the common wisdom in most media reports," Bulls insider Sam Smith said. "The issue the Bulls face, obviously, is it’s a risk at least for now for a team to take on three years of LaVine’s contract without having seen him play coming off surgery. I think Zach with his shooting and athletic style would fit with them and greatly elevate a team like Orlando, and I think they’d still have a chance to add that veteran point guard to run things a bit, a Mike Conley-lite type. But with finally making the playoffs, they’ve been deliberate and don’t face much pressure to improve dramatically next season and probably will try to wait for Anthony Black and add like you speculate around the edges of Banchero and Wagner."

The Magic have moves to make and would love to get someone with more firepower and creation abilities on offense, but LaVine may not work as well as he would on paper.

LaVine is about to enter his age-30 season and is coming off a year in which he only played 25 games due to injury. He's also signed on for over $138 million for the next three seasons, which is a lot of money to pay someone who just played a quarter of a season.

LaVine also doesn't have the defensive game to match the Magic's identity. While the current defensive scheme could help hide LaVine's shortcomings on that side of the ball, the overall fit is a question mark.

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