The Chicago Bulls are expected to consider trading Zach LaVine this summer, but the team should be careful to avoid trades that don’t move the needle.
The Chicago Bulls were famously two minutes away from beating the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament last season, but one last-second choke job later, here we are. The Heat were in the Finals and might trade for Damian Lillard. The Bulls, meanwhile, re-signed Nikola Vucevic and are firmly entrenched in NBA no-man’s land.
Is there a more depressing team in the NBA right now? With the Wizards finally blowing it up, I’m not sure there is. The Bulls continue to double and triple down on a roster that simply has no chance of contending.
The Bulls either need a reset or a miracle to launch them into contention. One potential avenue, either way, is a Zach LaVine trade. He’s their best player and the expectation is that Chicago will at least test the market.
That said, the Bulls can’t just trade LaVine. He’s a great player on a questionable contract. If the Bulls can’t use LaVine to kickstart their rebuild or, conversely, to acquire a significantly better player, there’s no point in dealing him. It sounds straightforward, but the Bulls either have to get way better or way worse. A slight upgrade or a lateral move accomplishes zilch.
These are the trades Chicago should avoid.
No. 3 Zach LaVine trade Bulls should avoid: 76ers for Tobias Harris
The Sixers could be desperate to find Joel Embiid’s next high-profile teammate once the James Harden trade goes down. LaVine is an obvious name to watch since he’s probably more affordable than, for example, Damian Lillard.
LaVine would absolutely help the Sixers with his three-point shooting, rim pressure, and pick-and-roll playmaking. He’s a dynamic scorer who won’t flatline in big games like Harden and he’s only 28 years old, so the timeline aligns with Embiid.
For Chicago, however, can the Sixers really offer anything of worth? Assuming Tyrese Maxey is off the board for LaVine-tier stars, it’s basically going to be Tobias Harris and maybe a draft pick. A deep future pick could yield value, but Harris’ $39.3 million contract shouldn’t really intrigue the Bulls.
If the Bulls were to angle for a proper rebuild, maybe there’s value in Harris as expiring money and a potential trade chip. But, with Vooch recently re-signed and DeMar DeRozan still on the roster, that doesn’t feel like Chicago’s M.O. This is the kind of lateral move that doesn’t really help the Bulls bottom out, nor does it improve their chances of winning.
In this case, it’s best to just hang tight until LaVine’s market opens up more. He’s under contract through 2027, so Chicago can afford to wait until LaVine yields more than a salary dump and a single pick.