Just 10 days left before the NBA trade deadline, Zach LaVine still isn't closer to getting back on the court for the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine hasn't returned to practice as he continues to have trouble with a right ankle sprain. During the team’s three-game trip to the West Coast last week, he could only receive treatment and couldn't do anything else.
Coach Billy Donovan said Thursday that LaVine would need at least one more week of rest before the Bulls medical team can reevaluate him. That would make two full weeks without any exercise — and it seems unlikely that LaVine would be able to come back by the Feb. 6 home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That’s the Bulls’ last game before the trade window closes at 2 p.m. Feb. 8, which raises a question: Has LaVine played his final game in a Bulls uniform?
Donovan said he has received no communication from the Bulls front office on what to expect regarding LaVine’s status after the deadline.
“I have no idea. I really don’t,” Donovan said before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. “I’d hate to even guess. I’m taking the approach he’s going to be with us the whole entire year and I hope he can get healthy sooner than later, but nothing’s been told to me that that’s the case.”
It’s clear LaVine is unlikely to play another game before the deadline. Despite both LaVine and the Bulls front office wanting a deal, it has been hard to find options to trade the two-time All-Star and his maximum contract in the last three months.
The Detroit Pistons came up as a new possible trade partner last week , but the Bulls have stayed firm in wanting to trade LaVine only for a good deal.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas traveled with the team to Phoenix and Los Angeles last week for the first two legs of an eight-day trip. The front office will meet this week to weigh its options before the deadline — and LaVine will be the main topic of conversation.
Donovan will be part of these meetings, although he said his input usually focuses on the current roster rather than potential additions or trades.
“As a group they’ll generally pick my brain on players,” Donovan said. “But it’s more like the player situation. Because you could say we need more shooting, more rebounding — you could say all those things. When you’re watching film as much as I think all coaches watch film, you start to evaluate and develop a feel to those things. So I’m more interested when there’s things coming to the table.”
LaVine has missed 22 games this season, including 17 straight in December and early January due to inflammation in his right foot. He came back for seven games before spraining his ankle against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 18. The Bulls are 12-10 without LaVine and 10-15 with him.
The long times he's been away have been visibly frustrating for LaVine, who showed a commitment to adapt his game to the offensive style that made the Bulls more successful during his earlier absence. He averaged 5.3 assists during his seven-game return from the foot injury.
It is also frustrating that LaVine's future with the Bulls may remain uncertain until the last moment, which is a week from Thursday.
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