Chicago Bulls Rumors: Likely trades, landing spots for Zach LaVine

This week should be a very telling week for the Chicago Bulls, who are currently 25-27, and sitting in the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago has a roster that doesn’t look like a contender, but looks good enough to just barely find their way into the playoffs. Some fans question whether or not the team will blow it up at the trade deadline, which comes this Thursday.

One player the Bulls could look to trade is Zach LaVine, who is in the first year of a massive contract and not necessarily playing up to the number he’s getting paid.

There are four teams reportedly interested in LaVine, should the Bulls decide to trade him. One of them, the Dallas Mavericks, just made a move to acquire Kyrie Irving. The other three? Let’s look at them.

Likely trade destinations for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine: Los Angeles Lakers

The first of the rumored teams to be monitoring LaVine is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are even lower than the Bulls in their respective standings at 25-29, but when a team has LeBron James, they rarely throw in the towel.

Instead, L.A. could make a move to acquire LaVine and pair him with LeBron, and hopefully a healthy Anthony Davis.

In order to land LaVine, the Lakers would likely have to include Russell Westbrook’s expiring deal, which wouldn’t be a nuisance to Chicago as he comes off the books this summer. Along with Westbrook, the Lakers would likely have to trade their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.

But, would those picks be enough for Chicago to part with LaVine? Those selections don’t come for quite some time, and the Bulls would want to start rebuilding right now.