LOS ANGELES — His right foot was still in a boot, and there was an obvious limp, but guard Zach LaVine’s confidence remained 100% healthy, bordering on defiant.
LaVine met with the media Saturday for the first time since his season-ending foot surgery in early February and was asked if the Bulls were functioning better offensively and defensively without him.
“Everybody has their own opinion,” LaVine said, “from [certain media members] to [executive vice president] Arturas [Karnisovas] in the front office, but my main objective is to help the guys play and be myself out there. When I’m on the court, I know I make an impact most of the time offensively, but defensively, as well.”
Originally, LaVine was given a four- to six-month window after the surgery, but he sounded optimistic that basketball activities would be taking place earlier than that timetable.
“In about three weeks, I get the boot taken off,” LaVine said. “But I should be good. I think the recovery is three to four months. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule right now, so let’s hope it stays that way.
“I don’t have a lot of pain. They said everything looks good. So hopefully the next update is as good as the last one.”
One topic LaVine refused to address was the notion that he and his camp opted for surgery rather than a trade to the Pistons.
“It sucked, man,” LaVine said when he heard the diagnosis. “I was pretty much trying to figure out every way not to. You never want to have surgery, but I got to a conclusion, especially with what the doctor was telling me about pain level and that this thing isn’t going to heal on its own.”
He signed a max five-year, $215 million contract in the offseason in 2022, and trade rumors resurfaced entering this season.
LaVine and his representation made it known that they were in favor of the Bulls moving him only three weeks into the season.
The Bulls did all they could to oblige, but sources told the Sun-Times that taking on LaVine and his contract was a non-starter for most teams.
How much of the Pistons chatter was real? Not much, a source close to the situation said. The Sun-Times reported in mid-February that the talks never reached anything deemed serious.
LaVine was asked about the latest batch of trade rumors and seemed relatively unfazed. He never even took advantage of Karnisovas’ open-door policy to discuss it.
“Nah, there’s a lot of things that don’t bug me,” LaVine said. “My name has been circulating around more than once from the beginning of my career to now. If I let people’s opinions bug me or influence me, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, so I go out there and keep doing me. Haven’t really talked to anybody, but we’ll continue to push forward.”
