The status of Zach LaVine has been up in the air for some time now, following a series of up-and-down campaigns for the Chicago Bulls.
Many expected him to have already been traded by the team, and more still would consider him a prime candidate to be moved before the deadline, with his win-now abilities not necessarily lining up with the Bulls' future-facing direction.
But according to the two-time NBA All-Star, he has been able to deal with the noise, as he starts the 2024-25 season in red-hot fashion.
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Zach LaVine addresses trade rumours
There have been multiple points during the last two seasons where it seemed that LaVine had played his last game for Chicago.
But as the elite scoring guard gets out and running to begin another campaign in the Windy City, he says that while it didn't completely rattle him, the constant trade chatter did make an impact.
"I heard everything,” LaVine told Yahoo Sports.
"I read everything. Sometimes you gotta take that accountability and put a chip on your shoulder.
"There’s a lot of things people said I had to prove. I think my resume speaks for itself, the type of player I am, the type of person I am, but it is what it is.
"It’s not for me to try to make everybody like me.
"I’m happy for what I got, what I deserved, and some people may not feel that way and you may judge it off that. But regardless, I know who I am and what I’ve done in this league."
LaVine's time in Chicago has been impressive, if not entirely conducive to playoff success.
He recently moved passed Artis Gilmore into seventh all-time in Bulls scoring, while his 24.1 points per game as a Bull is the third highest ever, trailing only Michael Jordan (31.5) and DeMar DeRozan (25.5).
Zach LaVine 2024-25 season stats
- 22 points per game
- 5.2 rebounds per game
- 4.2 assists per game
- 0.8 steals per game
- 0.5 blocks per game
- 51.2% FG
- 43.2% 3PT
- 79.6% FT
