The offseason firesale has officially begun for the Chicago Bulls. Just a few days ago, the Bulls traded away Demar Derozan to the Sacramento Kings. A few weeks before that, they moved guard Alex Caruso. Now, Chicago is reportedly shopping guard their all-star guard Zach Lavine. Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times reported that the Bulls want to add 2 second-round picks to help offload Lavine’s contract in a trade package.
Lavine has 3 years left on his five-year 215 million 215-million-dollar deal he signed a couple of years ago. This is a very unappealing contract for someone to pick up because of the guaranteed money and years for a player that wouldn’t be a top two option on a title contender. Attaching the two second-round picks could get a team to bite.
The Bulls have been stuck in the mud for a while and it appears they will finally blow it all up and start from scratch.
Bulls Hitting The Reset Button
The Chicago Bulls over the last decade have been very disappointing. Since the 2015-16 season, they only have two playoff appearances and have failed to get past the first round. For the past two seasons, Chicago has wound up getting bounced in the play-in tournament. The 2023-24 Bulls had a record of 39-43.
In the NBA, there’s nothing worse than being out of title contention but also being bad enough to get a top draft pick. That’s the exact situation the Bulls have been in for years. Now, they are finally going to be able to embrace that they are going to be bad. The next two drafts are loaded at the top with elite prospects. Most Bulls fans have likely been waiting for this for quite some time. They are ripping the band-aid off.
Lavine On The Trading Block
It’s no secret that NBA teams are not fans of the Zach Lavine contract. Right now, Lavine and his current price tag are not a great asset. Lavine the player is very solid. He can get buckets, is a really good shooter, and can rise above the rim. He averaged 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists a game last season.
Lavine is 29 years old and will be entering his 11th season in the NBA. If he does get traded, it will be his 3rd different team suiting up for in his career. He is still a very good player, it just all comes down to who is willing to give up a lot of cap room to bring him in.
Potential Landing Spot
There is a team that might be interested in this trade package for Lavine and the two second-round picks. The Los Angeles Lakers.
They are desperate to put as much talent as possible with Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Their front office knows they have a very limited time to build a contender with Lebron turning 40 this upcoming season. The Lakers are in a situation where they will be exhausting all their future resources to get better for the next season or two.
This move would be beneficial for both the Lakers and the Bulls.
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been playing, watching, and following basketball + baseball his whole life. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories and game previews.
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