NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Acquires Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine?

The Orlando Magic could be in the market for a trade. Would Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine be a target?

Jeremy Brener | May 17, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls are familiar trade partners and it may make sense for the two to tango once again.

Bleacher Report suggests that the Bulls should trade Zach LaVine to the Magic for Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Jalen Suggs and the No. 11 pick, which originally belonged to Chicago before it was dealt to Orlando in the Nikola Vucevic trade two years ago.

"As soon as he enters Orlando, he'd take control of this offense while simultaneously scratching itches for shooting, volume scoring and off-the-dribble creativity," Bleacher Report writes. "He'd handle the bulk of opposing defenses' attention, which would lighten Banchero's load and perhaps be a big boost to his shooting rates (42.7/29.8/73.8)."

LaVine, 28, would certainly elevate the Magic offense. He averaged 24.8 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the three-point line. With four years left on his contract and the Bulls trending down, it may behoove Chicago to trade him while his value is still really high.

"It might be best for Chicago to bail this summer before it locks Nikola Vučević into a new deal," Bleacher Report writes. "This may not be top-dollar for LaVine, but that could be hard to find given his colossally expensive contract and history of knee trouble."

Any trade would be a risk for the Magic, especially if it requires Orlando trading away a young piece like Suggs ... but All-Stars don't come cheap. If the Magic wants to truly upgrade the roster, it will cost the team a pretty penny.

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Published May 17, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.