3 Zach LaVine trades that would benefit Bulls and their trade partners

No. 2 Bulls Zach LaVine trade: Knicks for R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson

The New York Knicks are known star hunters. If the Knicks don’t feel great about their odds of getting Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, or Karl-Anthony Towns, then Zach LaVine could be a worthwhile contingency plan.

Contract and injury worries aside, LaVine is still a perennial All-Star candidate who can elevate the Knicks’ stagnant offense. He would form a deadly backcourt tandem with Jalen Brunson, giving New York two guards who operate at vastly different speeds. LaVine loves to skate down the lane with his explosive first step. Brunson can put defenders in jail with stop-start handles. Defenses would not have fun keeping them in check.

New York also has an excellent playmaking vehicle in the frontcourt in Julius Randle, who could unlock new aspects of LaVine’s game working out of DHOs or pick-and-rolls. The fit on paper between LaVine and New York’s current star-power apparatus is strong.

LaVine has experience playing under Tom Thibodeau, who traded LaVine from Minnesota to Chicago when he was in charge of the Timberwolves’ front office. As long as there’s no lingering resentment, that familiarity could go a long way toward acclimating LaVine into the Knicks’ system.

As for Chicago, this is a pretty simple reset: two upside bets in Mitchell Robinson, who can anchor the defense and simultaneously nix the need to re-sign Nikola Vucevic to some ungodly extension, as well as R.J. Barrett. The latter has run extremely hot or cold since being drafted with the No. 3 pick in 2019, but he’s a monster athlete who can pressure the rim and score in bunches. If the defense and/or 3-point shooting come along eventually, there’s still a path to high-level contributions.