3 big trades for the Chicago Bulls to jumpstart a rebuild

Oct 19, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) brings the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls in the second half at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) brings the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls in the second half at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 12, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) passes the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) passes the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Trade Zach Lavine to the Miami Heat

Trading Zach LaVine may be a hard pill to swallow after all the stress they went through to re-sign him to his massive new deal. But he’s having his worst season since joining Chicago and, at 27 and with a fairly lengthy injury history, it might be hard for the Bulls to realistically reload a contender around him before age-related decline really takes hold.

The Bulls may want to get a larger package in return for LaVine, something close to what the Jazz got for Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell but his value isn’t as high as those guys and this seams like a reasonable meeting in the middle. The Heat get a much more dynamic backcourt scorer and go all-in on the championship possibilities of a LaVine-Jimmy Butler-Bam Adebayo with those trio under contract for the next four seasons.

For the Bulls, they get a talented young offensive creator in Tyler Herro they can begin rebuilding around (although he’s clearly better suited to being the second- or third-best player on a good team). They also get a first-round pick for this season and another that lines up with the one they grab in the next deal.