San Antonio Spurs Trade Analysis: Could Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine Help Victor Wembanyama?
SAN ANTONIO — If there was ever a market for a superstar point guard, Chicago Bulls frontman Zach LaVine isn't the first player you'd think of.
But that doesn't mean he's any less valuable and talented.
After reports surfaced of the Bulls' interest in moving LaVine, rumors, mock trades and projections followed suit. The San Antonio Spurs haven't sat at the forefront of any of those, but there is a case to be made.
With a dicey point-guard situation and the youngest squad in the NBA, there isn't any doubt that LaVine would provide a boost on both ends of the court — but is that what the Spurs want? How much could he really help? What would the implications be?
Let's look into it. Here's your case for LaVine in Silver & Black threads:
Nov 6, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) shoots a free throw against the Utah Jazz during the second half at United Center.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The first aspect to any superstar evaluation is gauging the kind of value he's attached with. For LaVine, that's a lot. A $40 million contract that isn't set to expire for another three seasons — assuming he picks up his player option for 2026 — makes LaVine extremely expensive.
Because of the length of his current deal, any scene-changing situation for LaVine will come via trade — and the Spurs would have to match his contract to bring him in.
So, what could that look like? How about this:
SAS gets: Zach LaVine
CHI gets: Devonte' Graham, Doug McDermott, Sidy Cissoko, Blake Wesley, Julian Champagnie, 2024 1st-Round Pick (via CHA), 2026 2nd Round, 2027 2nd Round
See? Expensive. Anything other than a hesitant — or even shocked — reaction to a package like that just wouldn't be fitting, and for good reason. For the Spurs to deal out a boatload of their rotational pieces for an aging superstar would be concerning.
Money talks, but that's also where his potential impact would come into play.
LaVine, even in his 10th NBA season, is putting up strong offensive numbers. The guard has averaged more than 20 points per game in each of his last six seasons on top of adding 4-5 assists and rebounds with near-40 percent shooting from 3.
His offense is stellar, and his defensive is solid, so of course he'd be an asset to a young Spurs team in need of a reliable ball-handling guard and experience. Add the fact that he'd have the chance to bring a young team further into the winning spotlight — something he's expressed his distaste with in Chicago — and there seems to be a match to be made.
"I'm frustrated we're not winning," LaVine told reporters Wednesday. "I think if you're not frustrated, that's a problem. It's an upsetting thing when we've been trying to do the right thing for the last three or four years. It seems like we're in the same place."
San Antonio has been in the same place for the last three seasons. It's continually fallen near the bottom of the league, looking for direction behind numerous "could-be" stars like LaMarcus Aldridge, Dejounte Murray and even LaVine's current teammate, DeMar DeRozan. But that's changed alongside Wembanyama.
By adding a 7-4 generational rookie, San Antonio not only has a chance to re-invent its identity, but also take its next step to returning to Western-Conference contention.
LaVine could certainly help with that — and he has an inside-connection, too.
Like Keldon Johnson, LaVine is also represented by Rich Paul. The NBA has seen it happen before — referring to the Los Angeles Lakers here — where numerous players of the same camp band together on one roster. Obviously, two players doesn't make a trend, but it could be an interesting part of a potential deal.
The last part to look at is where the Spurs are physically. How would he fit on their roster?
As mentioned above, San Antonio is in the midst of a point-guard dilemma. Jeremy Sochan isn't exactly your typical one-spot, but right now, that's where he sits. Tre Jones provides strong facilitation and security through position experience, but he's also not an elite-level talent the way that LaVine is.
It wouldn't take too big of an adjustment to have LaVine run the point, especially on a roster that follows the non-rules of modern-day "positionless basketball," but at the same time, the Spurs would have to heavily dwell on the opportunity cost.
Sure, LaVine brings instant offense, solid leadership and another star to allow Wembanyama to thrive and develop alongside, but San Antonio would lose numerous up-and-coming rotational pieces for one player who likely wouldn't stick around for much longer than a few years. And right now, nothing about Popovich's squad or scheme points toward a wanting to win instantly. These Spurs are about development.
LaVine is a talent. He's a leader and he'd bring a lot to the table for any roster across the league, but he's also going to require a return that reinforces that.
If the Spurs think it's worth it, however, maybe they would join the bidding war.
Only time can tell for that.
