Ranking the 3 best trade packages Bulls can get for Zach LaVine

2. Chicago Bulls get off Zach LaVine’s contract and a young prospect

Per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago’s mailbag from yesterday, the Detroit Pistons are the most recently reported and only team that has had “advanced” conversations to any degree with the Bulls regarding a LaVine trade of late.

The Pistons front office have expressed to rival executives and teams around the league that they are open for business ahead of the trade deadline with “an interest in buying,” according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

With that said, the Pistons are getting a clear upgrade in the form of LaVine. Detroit freed up cap space by sending Marvin Bagley to the Washington Wizards to allow them to make splash moves. 

Since Detroit isn’t necessarily a desirable free agent destination, using their excess cap space via the trade market could be a more sensible approach.

Here, they’d give Chicago the expiring contracts of veterans Joe Harris and Alec Burks (shedding roughly $30 million off their payroll this offseason) and an intriguing prospect in 22-year-old Killian Hayes, who could benefit from a change of scenery.

The Pistons also get to hang onto Bojan Bogdanovic in this scenario, whose name has come up frequently in trade rumors practically since the day he stepped foot in Detroit amid their continued reluctance to move him.

Chicago is on the shortlist of favorites to acquire Hayes, per Bovada Sportsbook.