With only 10 days left before the NBA trade deadline, Zach LaVine is still not close to returning to play for the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine has still not returned to practice as he struggles with a right ankle sprain. He couldn't do anything except get treatment during the team’s three-game West Coast trip last week.
Coach Billy Donovan said Thursday that LaVine will need at least one more week of rest before the Bulls medical team can reassess him. It seems unlikely that LaVine will be able to play by the Feb. 6 home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This is the Bulls’ last game before the trade window closes on Feb. 8, which leads to the question: Has LaVine played his final game in a Bulls uniform?
Donovan said he has not been told anything by the Bulls front office about 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 that LaVine is unlikely to play another game before the deadline. Despite both LaVine and the Bulls front office wanting a trade, it has been hard to find options to trade the two-time All-Star and his maximum contract over the last three months.
The Detroit Pistons came up last week as a new potential trade partner, but the Bulls have remained strong in their desire to trade LaVine only for a good payoff. 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 ask for my thoughts on players,” Donovan said. “But it’s more about the player situation. Because you could say we need more shooting, you need 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 for those things. So I’m more interested when there’s things coming to the table.”
LaVine has missed 22 games this season, including 17 in a row in December and early January with
inflammation in his right foot . He came back for seven games before spraining his ankle against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 18. The Bulls have a 12-10 record without LaVine and a 10-15 record with him.The long absences have been visibly frustrating for LaVine, who showed a commitment to adjust 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 frustrating that it might not be clear if LaVine will stay with the Bulls until just before the deadline next week.
With only 10 days left before the NBA trade deadline, Zach LaVine is still not close to coming back to play for the Chicago Bulls. This would make it unlikely for LaVine to be able to play in the Feb. 6 home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as he hasn't been able to exercise for two full weeks. Donovan mentioned before Thursday's game against Los Angeles, 'I really don't.'
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