The Chicago Bulls are having another middle-of-the-pack season where they’re competing for a Play-In spot at the detriment of their position in the NBA Draft Lottery. The Bulls have solid players like Zach LaVine on the roster, who has been on the trade block since last season but no deal has been found for him.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst discussed the salary restrictions teams are under with the new CBA on the ‘Hoop Collective’ podcast, mentioning that LaVine’s trade market is completely quiet right now despite his strong performances.
“Zach LaVine is playing well not to be traded. If this was two years ago, not just with his contract, but I think he would have a good chance to be traded. And we’ll see, we got two months left… He had a great game today, he’s having a great season, but I’m hearing nothing. Doesn’t mean there’s nothing, but I hear nothing. I don’t know if you guys are hearing anything.”
Tim MacMahon mentioned that the Dallas Mavericks were after LaVine in the 2022-23 season when the Bulls refused to trade him, leading the Mavs to land Kyrie Irving instead.
“Two years ago, the Mavs tried trading for him before they got Kyrie, and the Bulls weren’t interested.”
LaVine is proving he’s still an All-Star caliber player this season, averaging 22.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 22 games this season for the Bulls. His past injury issues have turned most teams away from accepting the three years and $137.9 million remaining on his contract as it could turn out to be a long-term liability. However, LaVine could contribute to a contender in the NBA as a second or third option.
Few teams have been linked to LaVine over the last year, with credible rumors of the Lakers interest in him fizzling out in February. Their struggles this season could tempt them into a deal, but the Bulls may end up giving up draft assets to get off LaVine’s contract despite him being a productive player.
It seems chatter for LaVine trades might remain low until the end of the deadline when teams likely will knock on Chicago’s door to see what the value for LaVine is.
What Kind Of Value Can LaVine Fetch?
It’s hard to make up the $43 million LaVine is owed this year in contracts without giving up major rotational pieces, For example, the Lakers cannot execute a LaVine trade without giving up both D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura on a roster already bereft of depth, so to weaken that further would make zero practical sense for the franchise.
A team like the Sacramento Kings has contracts to make up the money for LaVine, but they’re already an offense-oriented team that needs some defenders on their roster instead of another isolation scorer. No other contender has an explicit need for LaVine’s scoring either.
A probable team might just be the Detroit Pistons, who were interested last season as well. They have the salary space to create room for LaVine without losing major pieces through contracts of players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and others. Their core is flexible and fluid, so adding LaVine to a backcourt with Cade Cunningham could be beneficial this season as the Pistons also seem to be in the race to make the Playoffs after years of tanking.
The Pistons have the flexibility and upside to take a gamble on LaVine and can afford for it to not work out. Maybe a team like the Orlando Magic could try something similar, but even these hypotheticals seem hard to execute.
It’s clear that most teams don’t want LaVine’s contract without a sweetener, even though he’s one of the most talented scorers in the NBA. The Bulls won’t find any value in offloading him with additional assets, so they’re better off keeping him and hoping his performances stay solid so that they can move off the deal when it has fewer years remaining.
