Sixers Seem Unlikely to Heavily Pursue Bulls Star Zach LaVine
Since news broke of Zach LaVine and the Bulls being open to a trade, the Philadelphia 76ers have been a team connected to the situation. While they have the assets to get a deal done, it doesn't appear that this is an avenue they plan on heavily pursuing.
In his initial reporting of the situation, Shams Charania stated that the Sixers were among teams to "have a level of interest." Given that specific wording, along with other recent reports, it's unclear how invested the team really is in targeting LaVine.
Over the past 24 hours, multiple local reports have cited the Sixers are pleased with how the team is playing now and aren't looking to make a big swing. Prior to their loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Joel Embiid and company were riding high on an eight-game winning streak.
"The Sixers may investigate his potential availability, but it is unclear if there is a fit with him or any of the Bulls high-salary players," Keith Pompey reported.
Even on a league-wide outlook, there isn't much belief the Sixers will cash their chips in on LaVine. Marc Stein recently reported the two-time All-Star is more likely to end up with the Miami Heat or LA Lakers.
“It appears more feasible that teams such as Miami or the Los Angeles Lakers, rather than Philadelphia, could emerge with substantive trade interest in LaVine since those teams have a clearer need for an offensive infusion,” Stein wrote.
With the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers shouldn't be in a rush to bring in another high-level scorer. Also, bringing in LaVine would take a massive hit on their financial flexibility moving forward. This year, LaVine is in just the second year of a five-year max contract he signed during the 2022 offseason.
Still early in the season, the Sixers are right to sit on their assets and assess their needs closer to the trade deadline.
