3 Bulls Who Won't Survive the 2024 Trade Deadline
With the 2023-24 NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, don't be surprised if these three Chicago Bulls are longer in the Windy City after Feb. 8.
This year's NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 8 and no one would be surprised if the Chicago Bulls are one of the bigger sellers when that date arrives. Even if they aren't playing as poorly as when the season began, the Bulls are still only ninth in the Eastern Conference after amassing a 22-25 record as of Jan. 29.
With a potential rebuild on the horizon, it only makes sense for Chicago to get as many future assets as possible at the deadline. In other words, a handful of players are likely playing their final games in a Bulls jersey over the next few weeks.
Here are three Bulls who won't survive the trade deadline.
1. Zach LaVine, SF/SG
Trade rumors exploded back in November when The Athletic's Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry reported that the Bulls were open to trading superstar Zach LaVine.
Since then, fans and experts alike have theorized where the veteran wing player would land. The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the early frontrunners to land the 28-year-old, however, the Los Angeles Lakers also emerged as a top destination, however, that's no longer believed to be the case.
LaVine carries a $40 million cap hit this season before it jumps up to $43 million next season to $45.9 million in 2025-26. Additionally, he has a $48.9 player option for the 2026-27 campaign. Maybe interested teams don't think he's worth those numbers after averaging 19.5 PPG on .452/.349/.854 splits through 25 games. At the same time, we've seen teams make tricky salary situations work before.
And even if LaVine's offensive numbers are down this season, he's still a talented player with over 580 games of NBA experience under his belt and was scoring at a 24.8 PPG pace just last season. With the right environment and lineup, a bounce-back performance isn't unfathomable.
Considering how the Bulls also have a better winning percentage without LaVine in the lineup this season (54.5%) compared to when he plays (40.0%), it might be in Chicago's best interest to get whatever it can for the two-time All-Star.