In an alternate universe, Zach LaVine is playing for the Golden State Warriors right now.
The Warriors had not one, but two opportunities to trade for the 2x All-Star. They could have traded for LaVine when his value was incredibly low in the offseason, or again just before the trade deadline once the explosive guard had recouped his value with a strong season for the Chicago Bulls.
Golden State rejected both opportunities. Instead of taking on LaVine's deal in the offseason, they spent that cash on a number of mid-tier players in free agency -- De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson. When they had the opportunity to reverse that decision and acquire LaVine (and possibly Nikola Vucevic) earlier this month, they passed and turned their attention to even bigger names.
The Warriors have been proven right in declining Zach LaVine
The Warrior front office drew some criticism for not taking on LaVine, but they've since been proven right for their patience and boldness in targeting higher-calibre players. Golden State eventually got their hands on Jimmy Butler, which has been an inspired decision as the 6x All-Star has helped the franchise to a 5-1 record since his arrival.
The Warriors rank sixth in offense, third in defense and fourth in net rating in their six games with Butler, having surged back into the playoff mix as they sit just a 1.5 games back from the sixth-seed L.A Clippers.
On the other hand, the team that actually acquired LaVine from the Bulls -- the Sacramento Kings -- are going backwards. They've gone 3-4 in their seven games with LaVine, including a 24-point blowout loss to the Warriors on Friday where their new guard had just 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Lavine a reminder to me that you never know as much about any random player as you think you do, a few cursory bulls viewings over the year had me convinced he's a secret titan but you watch him closely and realize that he's legit terrible
— "red" (@jeudygarland) February 22, 2025
Zach Lavine so mid. Y’all swore he was the one
— Beke (@BK9419) February 22, 2025
LaVine has shot just 43% from the field and 26.4% from beyond the arc with the Kings, while the team has been a -24 in his minutes on the floor so far. Those numbers are likely to get better, but Sacramento are still likely to be stuck in no-man's land fighting just to make the Play-In Tournament.
History doesn't lie when it comes to LaVine's impact (or lack thereof) on winning, particularly in comparison to Butler. There's a reason why the latter led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals on two separate occasions, and why LaVine has never won a single playoff game in his 11-year career.
You can argue that LaVine's 3-point shooting and high-flying dunking may be more flashy than Butler, but it hasn't taken long to prove that the Warriors made the right decision in ensuring they landed themselves a true difference-maker on winning.