The impossible has happened. Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine has decided to leave for greener pastures. After five long, hard years in the windy city, fighting against the laughing stock reputation this franchise has had and finally helping lead our favorite team back to the playoffs, he has surprisingly left.
While, like most Bulls fans, I don’t believe Zach LaVine will be in another uniform this Fall, it’s interesting to consider the options this team has should he decide to move on. If he does, the Bulls are more or less guaranteed assets in return as none of the teams with the space to sign him outright would make any sense from a financial or winning perspective.
Most recently, the Mavericks, Hawks, Blazers, and Lakers were reported to be the four teams interested in potentially poaching Zach LaVine. All four of these teams would have to complete a sign and trade with Chicago, but oftentimes in these trades, the team getting the best player wins the deal. Since Doncic, Young, Lillard, and LeBron likely won’t be included in any trade packages – the Bulls stand to get worse as a team should LaVine leave.
This leaves the Chicago Bulls in an interesting spot. With a roster still full of young talent, but led by two stars on the wrong side of 30, where do they go? Retool and try to keep competing or tear it down and acquire as many assets as possible?
If Zach LaVine leaves, the Chicago Bulls will have some major decisions to make regarding their other two stars.
With DeMar’s trade value at an all-time high and Vucevic on a great contract for an all-star big, I believe, if Zach LaVine is intent on leaving no matter what, that the Chicago Bulls should trade their remaining two stars and attempt to rebuild around Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball. Even though this would be a short-term setback in terms of success, it would be the best for the long-term future of this franchise.
What follows here are three trades for the Chicago Bulls’ big three that would drastically transform the team going into the 2022-23 season should Zach LaVine demand a trade and force his way out of Chicago. Once again, as a reminder, I do not believe Zach will leave Chicago – this is merely a thought experiment.
Trade Package One: Chicago Bulls send Zach LaVine to the Mavericks
With Zach LaVine now set to leave the Bulls in this imaginary thought experiment, the finances of his new deal are important to consider. The Mavericks are one of the teams reported to have interest in LaVine, but to acquire him they’d need to execute a sign and trade with the Chicago Bulls.
The max contract Zach LaVine could be signed to via a sign and trade is 4 years/157M, a far cry from the 5 years / 212M the Bulls can offer (yet again why I don’t believe he’s going anywhere). These contracts start at 30% of the cap in the first year, with five percent raises each year after (Max contract rules here).
This means that the Mavericks would need to match 30 percent of 122M, i.e., 36.6M in salary in order to acquire LaVine.
Here’s a potential trade, the Mavericks and Bulls could execute should Zach LaVine desire to pair up with Luka Doncic, with projected salaries.
Jalen Brunson is expected to fetch around 25M AAV in restricted free agency this summer, and as such would be the main piece coming back to the Bulls. At only 25 years old, Brunson would join Lonzo Ball in the Chicago Bulls’ starting backcourt. It’s unclear whether he can be the long-term answer as no one knows how much of his success is tied to the attention Luka draws, but if LaVine forces himself out, Brunson is an interesting prospect to get back in return.
In addition to Brunson, the Bulls would also get back the 26th pick in this year’s NBA draft (worth about 1.75M) that they can either use on another young prospect or package to acquire someone else. They also get Reggie Bullock, a solid wing who can provide decent minutes off the bench and hit from three.
Trade Two: Chicago Bulls send DeMar DeRozan to Phoenix
It might sound crazy, but DeMar DeRozan heading to Phoenix may be a move that benefits both parties should LaVine force the Bulls to hit reset. DeMar is coming off his best season since his Toronto days and his trade value will never be higher. As much as part of me would want the Bulls to keep DeMar around no matter what for his poise and veteran leadership, the potential return they can get would be worth it.
Phoenix, coming off their league-best 64 wins, had a disappointing end to their season capped off by a blowout game 7 loss at the hands of Luka and the Mavericks. Not enough offense was the problem, and with DeAndre Ayton seemingly quitting on the team halfway through, the Suns face a lot of questions this summer.
With the massive extension Chris Paul signed last year, it doesn’t seem likely that the Suns will blow their team up. More likely, they’ll look to move DeAndre Ayton and acquire a piece that can help them win now. With Ayton, a restricted free agent and also eligible for a max deal (on a sign and trade) worth up to 131.1M, a trade between Chicago and Phoenix could benefit both parties.
Once again, being forced to match salaries the Bulls send the Suns DeRozan, Green, and Cook for the 23-year-old, 6’11 big man brimming with potential. Joining a young core in Chicago that Billy Donovan can build up with the right culture could be promising for a young player like Ayton who is still in the infancy of his career.
Trade Three: Chicago Bulls send Nikola Vucevic out to the Bay
Of all the crazy trades, this might be the craziest, but given the Warriors reported interest in Rudy Gobert, I would be surprised if they didn’t at least kick the tires on Vucevic who is cheaper, can space the floor, and pull down 10-12 rebounds per game.
Rudy Gobert is making 38M next season and is under contract till 2026, making trading for him a massive investment and long-term commitment as opposed to Vucevic who is entering a contract year and will only make 22M this upcoming season.
The Warriors are also in win-now mode, but in recent memory have always taken swings to improve their team. One has to wonder, even if they win the title this season, how they’ll look to keep themselves in contention next season.
Given James Wiseman’s injury history and lack of playtime thus far, it’s fair to ponder whether or not the Warriors remain committed to him as the majority of their core is on the plus-side of 30. He would be an interesting prospect to bring to Chicago to pair with the new young core they are assembling.
Additionally, with the emergence of Poole, Kuminga, and Gary Payton II, I question whether Moses Moody will be able to carve out a spot in the Warriors rotation and as such I could see him being a piece the Warriors are willing to move on from. On the Bulls, he figures to compete for key rotational minutes, especially with Coby White’s future hanging in doubt.
In turn, the Warriors would be getting a durable center, double-digit rebounder, and reliable three-point shooter (aside from this season) for significantly cheaper than other all-star options. He’s also 31 which matches well with the Warriors’ current roster and timeline. Lastly, since neither player involved in this trade is an RFA or UFA, it’s not imperative that the salaries fully match.
The Chicago Bulls’ new 2022-23 rotation
If the unthinkable happens and LaVine forces the Bulls to press reset on the team yet again, there are a lot of moves that the front office can make to get younger quickly. Should they follow exactly what I’ve laid out, here’s what the new rotation would be going into next season.
Point Guard: Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu
Shooting Guard: Jalen Brunson, Coby White, Moses Moody
Small Forward: Patrick Williams, Reggie Bullock
Power Forward: James Wiseman, *FA Signing or Draft Pick*
Center: DeAndre Ayton, Tony Bradley
There are a few interesting notes to make about a team that looks like this. First off, the frontcourt would feature two seven-footers and a 6’8 Patrick Williams. A healthy frontcourt paired with Lonzo and Caruso in the backcourt would be a defensive juggernaut. Secondly, the average age of this team would be around 24 years old, making them likely one of the youngest teams in the league.
The unfortunate reality of a team like this though would be its health as it is highly unlikely they all stay healthy consistently.
All in all, while Zach LaVine is in all likelihood not going anywhere, this serves as a simulation of some moves the Bulls could make this summer to get young quickly and get a return on the two largest assets they acquired to pair with Zach. While there is a next to 0 percent chance all of these trades go down as I mocked, this was undoubtedly a fun exercise in futility.
*All salaries were obtained using Spotrac
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