Latest Zach LaVine update indicates Lakers may have leg up if they choose to pursue Bulls star

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Per a recent report, Chicago Bulls star guard Zach LaVine and his representation see the Los Angeles Lakers as an attractive landing spot due to the franchise’s ties to Klutch Sports.

“The Bulls have been linked to the Lakers and [Toronto] Raptors in the rumor mill, but multiple sources said LaVine and his representation obviously want Los Angeles because of the Klutch Sports connection,” wrote Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Lakers star forward LeBron James’ agent is Rich Paul, who is the founder of Klutch Sports. James is one of multiple Lakers players who Paul represents.

LaVine has been linked to the Lakers for a bit now. A report from late November indicated that the Bulls would likely want both Rui Hachmiura and Austin Reaves in exchange for the 28-year-old.

While LaVine’s scoring numbers are down a bit from the season prior, he’s still averaging 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from behind the 3-point arc in the 2023-24 campaign.

However, LaVine has been sidelined for some time due to a foot injury. He hasn’t taken the floor for the Bulls since he suffered the injury in a Nov. 28 matchup against Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. The Bulls went on to lose that game by a final score of 124-97.

The Bulls have been one of the worst teams in the entire Eastern Conference so far this season. At 9-16, the team owns just the 12th-best record in the conference and is 1.5 games back of the Toronto Raptors for the No. 10 seed.

The only teams in the Eastern Conference with worse records than the Bulls right now are the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons (who have lost 21 games in a row).

Chicago will hope to snap its two-game losing streak when it takes on Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat on the road on Thursday. The Heat own a solid 14-10 record on the season to this point and are fresh off a victory against Gordon Hayward and the Hornets on Wednesday.

Only time will tell if LaVine ends up getting dealt to the Lakers before February’s trade deadline, but the fact that he and James have the same agent seemingly doesn’t hurt the team’s chances of acquiring him at the very least.