One of the most discussed trade chips heading into the NBA trade deadline on Feb 8th is suddenly off the table following the announcement that Bulls forward Zach LaVine would have season ending foot surgery.
LaVine, who had been dealing with foot issues since the end of November, will undergo a surgical procedure on his right foot to correct an issue which has cost him 17 games to date. With surgery scheduled for next week, the 28 year old will miss 4 months, but should be back to 100% health in time for the 2024-25 campaign.
“In consultation with the Chicago Bulls training and medical staff, guard Zach LaVine and Klutch Sports Group have elected surgery on LaVine’s right foot as the next step in his recovery process,” the Bulls said in a news release Saturday.
Limited to just 25 games this season, LaVine has struggled offensively, posting a 19.5pts/5.2reb/3.9ast stat line, while shooting only .452 from the field and .349 from beyond the arc. Since the 2018-19 campaign, the small forward has regularly been in the ballpark of 25 points per contest, and has complained previously about how the injury had been hampering his on court burst.
“It bugs you, a boney, prominent area,” LaVine told reporters prior to the season-ending announcement. “You really don’t want to start messing around with that, that fifth metatarsal area and it gets more and more irritated.”
Teams such as the Lakers, Heat, Warriors, Raptors, Pistons and Pacers were rumoured to have been checking in on the former UCLA standout’s availability prior to the announcement. Instead, they’ll likely now shift their focus to other assets this week as teams will inevitably be cautious with a mercurial player coming off major surgery with so much term remaining on his contract.
LaVine is only in the 2nd year of a 5 year, $215M contract extension, with base salaries of $43M, $45M, and $48M still remaining over the next 3 seasons.
Currently sitting at 23-27 on the year, Chicago finds themselves once again in the play-in range of the Eastern Conference. A position that’s becoming all too familiar for the team’s front office. With high priced veterans such as LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic on the roster, the team’s continual underperformance has drawn the ire of ownership and fans alike.
While Vucevic is in the 1st year of a new 3 year, $60M extension, DeRozan is set to become an UFA at the end of the season. In all likelihood, that makes the 34 year old the new “odd man out” when it comes to pieces who could moved at the trade deadline in Chicago.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.