“Miami Heat or the Los Angeles Lakers”: NBA Insider Claims 76ers Are Unlikely to Bag Bulls Star Zach LaVine to Bolster Their Offense

Zach LaVine has been rumored to be traded away from the Chicago Bulls all summer long. At first, there was no concrete evidence backing this claim. However, very soon, reports suggested that the Bulls were open to the idea of a roster without the presence of LaVine.

There have been several teams who are salivating over the fact that they could possibly add Zach LaVine to their squad. At first, the Philadelphia 76ers were a team that was in conversations to pick the athletic guard up. However, an NBA Insider – Marc Stein – made it pretty clear that the frontrunners in the race are two powerhouses – the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. 

“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.”

Don’t look for Zach LaVine to wind up with the Philadelphia 76ers, per @TheSteinLine

“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… pic.twitter.com/qvstMbmTc3

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 15, 2023

LaVine being associated with these franchises makes a lot of sense. There has been no surprise that the Heat have been looking to add a star guard to their roster who can shoot the long ball. Jimmy Butler and Co. did make efforts to acquire Damian Lillard, but that didn’t go in their favor. Whereas, the Lakers are trying to capitalize on the final few years left for LeBron James. Hence, the front office isn’t shying away from building a superteam around the likes of James and Anthony Davis.

Kendrick Perkins believes that the Miami Heat should sign Zach LaVine

Numerous analysts have been giving their two cents on the Zach LaVine matter. Kendrick Perkins was among the larger group of people who are suggesting that the Bulls should swallow the tough pill and part ways with their two-time All-Star.

In fact, Perks went on to state that the Chicago Bulls should also trade away DeMar DeRozan along with LaVine and “blow the team up”. Finally, the ESPN analyst made it pretty clear that the Miami Heat should use all of their assets to acquire the highflyer. Perkins claimed that the team already failed to acquire Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, and Jrue Holiday. Missing out on LaVine was not an option for the South Florida side.

“If I’m the Miami Heat, I missed out on Bradley Beal, I missed out on Jrue Holiday, I missed out on Damian Lillard. I might not want to miss out on Zach LaVine,” Perkins claimed.

The Miami Heat would likely become a better squad under the leadership of the All-Star trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Zach LaVine. It does make sense for the Heat to acquire the former UCLA Bruin, even if it means that they might have to part ways with some of their star young talents – Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, and Jamie Jaquez Jr.