Zach LaVine says 3-4 extra weeks of recovery are unrelated to potential trade from Bulls: ‘I’m committed here’

CHICAGO — Zach LaVine likely won’t play for the Chicago Bulls again until 2024.

The two-time All-Star guard knows how this looks. When the team announced after Wednesday’s game that LaVine will require three to four more weeks of treatment to address right foot soreness — which already has sidelined him intermittently for the last two weeks — the speculation that followed was immediate and harsh.

LaVine acknowledged the reality of his situation Thursday at the Advocate Center but shot down the idea his absence is related to a potential upcoming trade.

“I think it’s funny,” LaVine said. “For everybody who knows me, I try to play through everything. This is not to do with anything off the court, and everything off the court is still obviously very much speculation.

“It’s funny to me to see all the narratives and things like that that people run with. I deal with it internally, but it is what it is. I go out there and put my heart on for Chicago whenever I put that jersey on. When I get back out there, I’ll continue to do that.”

The injury occurred during a home game against the Miami Heat on Nov. 18 — just days after LaVine chose not to deny reports that he’s interested in a trade away from Chicago.

LaVine played through the injury for both games of a homestand against the Heat, then missed one road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He returned for three games but was pulled in the second half of a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Nov. 28. The Bulls shut him down for a week three days later.

LaVine described the injury as inflammation affecting the lateral side of his right foot, ranging close to his fifth metatarsal. He attempted this week to ramp back up for a return in either Wednesday’s home game against the Charlotte Hornets or Friday’s road game against the San Antonio Spurs. But the inflammation and pain did not diminish enough to receive clearance from the medical team.

The Bulls decided Wednesday to shut LaVine down for three to four more weeks. The current treatment plan is rest. LaVine said the medical team will reassess the injury in one to two weeks, then determine if he’s prepared to return to active rehab.

LaVine said he informed his teammates Wednesday of his extended absence. DeMar DeRozan alluded to that after the 111-100 win over the Hornets, the Bulls’ third straight victory.

“It’s one day at a time,” DeRozan said. “Zach’s got to take care of himself, not sure how long that will be. So every single day, every single practice, shootaround, game, we’ve just got to stay locked in, be prepared for when guys get all the way healthy. We’ve just got to keep building.”

LaVine did not travel to San Antonio with the team Thursday after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection as the next step in his treatment plan. But he plans to be with the team for all future games as he recovers.

This timeline would place LaVine’s earliest expected return on Dec. 28 for a home game against the Indiana Pacers, but he could remain sidelined until the new year. That leaves little time before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, by which time the Bulls are expected to move LaVine as they approach a future without their longtime star.

LaVine hasn’t denied he’s interested in a trade, a change from previous seasons when he landed in the NBA rumor mill. But he balked Thursday at the idea that he would sit out games without a serious injury.

“First off, the storylines that are out there right now about me is both something that wasn’t said completely verbally to the media,” LaVine said. “It was something that is behind closed doors that a bunch of narratives can get spun around and said about me. Things and stories will be portrayed. And that’s part of the business.”

The spotlight has been on LaVine in the three weeks since his interest in a trade originally was reported. In addition to missing four games since then, he scored 13 or fewer points in three games and appeared detached from his duties on defense.

But LaVine brushed off the idea he isn’t committed to the Bulls, attributing any dip in his performance to the injury rather than off-the-court drama.

“Am I still a part of this team and very committed? Yeah,” LaVine said. “I got a Bulls jersey on and I’m committed here. For as long as I’ll be here, I’ll still support and love Chicago and go out there and play my heart out for those guys. That’s never going to change.”

The Bulls have been playing their best basketball of the season without LaVine, winning their last three games. This stretch has been highlighted by a more fluid style of play and bolstered by hot shooting from Coby White.

But this brief improvement also has raised a pointed question: Can the Bulls keep playing like this when LaVine returns?

They now face another critical stretch without their highest-paid player as they attempt to dig out of an 8-14 hole. Regardless of speculation, it’s clear the Bulls are running out of runway to get LaVine back on the court before the trade deadline.

In an optimistic timeline, LaVine would be available for six weeks before the deadline. And a deal could be struck even earlier — most players become eligible to be traded in mid-December or mid-January.

So has LaVine already played his last game in a Bulls jersey?

“I don’t think about anything like that,” he said. “The main thing I’m thinking about is getting my foot right and hopefully getting back out there, help these guys continue winning and playing like this.”