Zach LaVine isn’t denying the rumors anymore.

For the last three years, LaVine has been quick to shut down any talk of a move away from the Chicago Bulls. But a day after a report by The Athletic suggested mutual interest in pursuing a trade, LaVine on Wednesday didn’t clear the smoke while speaking with reporters at a shootaround at the Advocate Center.

LaVine did not outright answer whether he requested a trade. But he made it clear that frustration with a lack of winning has reached a new level. The Bulls entered their game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at the United Center at 4-7.

“My camp talks to (the front office) all the time,” LaVine said. “It’s not like we’re not in a good relationship or a good talking space. We understand the business of basketball — I do more than most people. People talk. I’ve been in trade talks for a long time, so I understand the situation, but once news is always broken it’s a big thing. It’s not like it will be the first or the last time it’s going to happen with my name. As of right now, I’m excited to still put this jersey on and go out here and play, try and get this win tonight.’’

This has been a long time coming. LaVine’s name has been tossed into trade conversations throughout the last three seasons as the Bulls struggled and stumbled through an attempted rebuild around the guard, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević.

It isn’t working. LaVine entered this season aware that the roster would be dismantled at some point if that central trio couldn’t right the ship.

But for the Bulls, the certainty of an impending change only creates more questions: Who will stay? Who’s worth trading? And is this the end of LaVine’s tenure in Chicago?

Since acquiring him in June 2017, the Bulls have spent six-plus seasons attempting to mold LaVine into a central star who could lift the team back into playoff contention annually. In some ways, he has delivered on that promise. He’s a two-time All-Star and the team’s leading scorer.

On his best nights, LaVine is undeniable, the type of quick-twitch playmaker who can transform any offense. But the playoff payoff hasn’t followed. LaVine has participated in only six postseason games — four in the 2022 playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks, then a demoralizing crash landing from last season’s play-in tournament when LaVine went scoreless in the fourth quarter of a collapse against the Miami Heat.

The Bulls have remained intent in their focus on LaVine, signing him to a five-year, $215 million maximum extension in July 2022. He remains their greatest feature — both on the court and as a trade asset — even as the Bulls struggle.

But after a rough start this season, faith in the future of this project clearly is beginning to wane.

LaVine kept his comments relatively brief Wednesday, voicing frustration with the team’s subpar start. But he didn’t express outright dissatisfaction with the Bulls or the front office.

“I’ve been supported in Chicago for a long time,” LaVine said. “I’ve been here for seven years now and never not been supported. Love my time here in Chicago, always loved being a Bull, and that hasn’t changed.’’

Still, it’s obvious LaVine and the Bulls are nearing a breaking point — a threshold the guard knew was fast-approaching when he entered the season.

LaVine spent Tuesday night sitting courtside at the United Center with his agent, Rich Paul, for the Champions Classic, which included four of the top college programs in the country and drew front-office members from throughout the NBA. That relationship will be critical as LaVine attempts to navigate his future

“That’s why I have representatives like Rich Paul,’’ LaVine said. “If he speaks on my behalf … — that’s who I obviously have my camp with. They talk to (executive vice president of basketball operations) Artūras (Karnišovas) and them. My job is to go out here and play, simple as that.”

In the meantime, LaVine said he’s not worried about how the locker room will handle growing chatter about a potential restructuring of the roster.

“This is a business, man,’’ LaVine said. “We’ve dealt with a lot more than people talking in the media. There’s been a lot more than that. Obviously there was some news in the media. But we’re grown men. We’re a professional business. We know how to handle that.’’

But that doesn’t necessarily bode well for what’s left on the court. In the preseason, Karnišovas said the team felt a lack of connection defined their losses last season.

If the face of the franchise is ready to leave, the Bulls need to prepare for a massive shift in the coming months.

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday provided an impassioned defense of his brother, Jim Harbaugh, amid Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal.

When asked for his opinion on Jim Harbaugh’s suspension by the Big Ten Conference, John Harbaugh said four times he was “proud” of his brother for how he’s “handled himself through all this.”

Jim Harbaugh was suspended three games Friday — the rest of the No. 3-ranked Wolverines’ regular season — for a sign-stealing scheme that is also under investigation by the NCAA. In his ninth season at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of illegal scouting within his program.

John Harbaugh, 15 months Jim Harbaugh’s senior, said his brother has “come through this thing with flying colors” and that the Big Ten and NCAA “don’t have anything of substance.”

“I’m proud as heck of him,” John Harbaugh said. “I’m really impressed with the way he’s handled himself through all this. I mean, it’s been a long run and everything can be done — you know, his phones and his computers and all this stuff has been looked at, and he’s come through this thing with flying colors.”

The Big Ten said the Wolverines violated the conference’s sportsmanship policy through the program’s “impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years” that gave Michigan “an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.” In a letter sent to Michigan, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said the conference did not have evidence that Jim Harbaugh was aware of the scheme and that the sanction was of the university, not its football coach.

“I don’t know what they tried to get, but they don’t have anything of substance,” said John Harbaugh, whose Ravens defeated his brother’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013. “And I just think I’m proud of him. I think it’s a real compliment to our family and to him, something for us to be proud of. And his kids can see this. You get in this kind of situation where you come under fire for whatever reasons and you come out in a really good place doing the right thing all the time. And I’m really proud of that, and I think it’s great for a family, kids and it’s just a great blessing in that sense.

“He’s a great man, he’s a great coach, his players love him, his coaches love him, and he stands tall through all this.”

Jim Harbaugh’s suspension allows him to coach the team during the week, but he isn’t allowed on the sidelines through the regular season. The undefeated Wolverines defeated No. 12 Penn State on the road Saturday afternoon. They travel to College Park this Saturday to play the Terps, and whether Jim Harbaugh will be allowed to coach the game or not remains unknown. Michigan filed for a temporary restraining order, and Harbaugh’s hearing before the judge is scheduled for Friday.

“I’m just looking for that opportunity, due process,” Jim Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. “I’m not looking for special treatment. I’m not looking for a popularity contest. I’m just looking for the merit for what the case is.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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General manager Chris Getz gave a frank assessment of the Chicago White Sox in the aftermath of a 101-loss season.

“We have a talented group, there is no question,” Getz said Tuesday during the MLB general managers meetings at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz. “I don’t like our team, and we have to make some adjustments to improve in 2024.

“When I say ‘I don’t like our team,’ we’ve got pieces that are talented and attractive and they can be part of a winning club, but obviously we haven’t gone out there and performed. It’s not a well-rounded club right now and so we’ve got to find players to come in here and help get us in the right direction.”

Manager Pedro Grifol echoed Getz’s sentiments during a video conference call Tuesday.

“When we talk about team, it’s not about one guy or two or five, it’s about 26 guys really loving to play with each other when that bell rings, and we didn’t have that,” Grifol said. “It’s our responsibility, and my responsibility, once we put the roster together, to make sure that chemistry is where it needs to be every time we step on the field.”

Getz reiterated a point he made at his introductory news conference as the team’s GM on Aug. 31, saying there weren’t any untouchables.

“If we feel like we can multiply or strengthen our group both presently and in the future, then we’re going to look at that,” Getz said.

Getz did note, when asked if ‘no untouchables’ applied to Luis Robert Jr., that the All-Star center fielder “is a guy you build around.”

There’s plenty of building to do. The Sox have questions at second base, shortstop, right field, catching and with their rotation and bullpen.

“We’re looking for players that understand what it takes to be on a winning ballclub,” Getz said. “That starts with their approach on a day-to-day basis, being in the right place at the right time, on the field and more or less being baseball players going out there and working together, competing.”

Here are three Sox takeaways from the GM meetings.

1. Defense is a priority.

The Sox were tied for 10th in the American League with 95 errors and tied for 11th with a .983 fielding percentage.

Getz said the team is “set out to really improve our defensive play, which will allow our pitchers to attack the zone and be more efficient.”

The Sox are aiming for steady defenders who have a knack for “making plays you are supposed to make,” Getz said.

“We made too many (defensive) mistakes through the years,” Getz said. “When certain plays aren’t being made, it’s a traumatic feeling for a team, it’s a traumatic feeling for pitchers.

“I really want to just settle back down so pitchers are comfortable attacking the zone and outs are made where they are supposed to be made.”

2. The Sox had a ‘heavy’ conversation when deciding to decline Liam Hendriks’ club option.

The Sox on Saturday decided to decline shortstop Tim Anderson’s club option for 2024. The day before, they took the same route with closer Liam Hendriks.

The reliever’s deal included a $15 million buyout that would be paid in 10 equal installments from 2024-33.

Hendriks appeared in five games in 2023 after an inspirational return from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery in August, with 12 to 14 months as the timeline for coming back.

“That conversation was a heavy one, because of what he’s meant to this game, not only the White Sox,” Getz said. “But you talk about an open book, Liam is very much an open book and very easy to talk to, and he understood where we were coming from.

“And just like (Anderson), if there’s a situation that makes sense for both of us, we’d certainly welcome Liam back, as well.”

3. There were plenty of nuggets to fill a notebook.

Yoán Moncada has played 203 career games at second base.

Could the third baseman could see time at that position again?

“I think he is capable of playing different positions,” Getz said. “I think he’s a better third baseman than second baseman. That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be perhaps games he goes over to second or plays first base and perhaps even the outfield. We’ll do what’s best for our club.”

While Moncada has never played first, Getz said, “He’s a very good athlete. And if that means we need to have Yoán be more versatile to help our lineup on a nightly basis, you do that.”

The Sox said former manager Tony La Russa is a senior adviser with the club.

“That type of experience is invaluable, not only in the team-building aspect with so many little pieces that go into a major league club, there is going to be mentoring with some of our minor-league coaches and our players as well,” Getz said. “He’s an asset. I’m going to take advantage of him.”

Look for the Sox to shift their international signing approach.

“We’re going to certainly attack things a little more strongly on the pitching front,” Getz said. “There are different ways to allocate international bonus money. We had a meeting last week with (special assistant to the general manager, international operations) Marco (Paddy) and everyone else in our front office and we’re putting together a strategy for the White Sox moving forward. But you can expect a different approach.”

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