Any time a player of Zach LaVine’s caliber is in trade rumors, generally, rebuilding packages are proposed in every deal. With an aging DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls can zag against the tradition of stockpiling picks and go all-in on an older team. The fit between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan isn’t working. Both players tend to fall into an isolation-heavy offense, leaving Nikola Vucevic out of the scheme. Vucevic has a lot of high-quality basketball left in his game, which he displayed last night against the Warriors when he scored 43 points in the Bulls’ victory.
The Bulls’ offense was built around Lonzo Ball’s playmaking which would theoretically get their big three involved without one player falling into the isolation basketball. Unfortunately, Ball hasn’t been healthy enough to prove that concept correct. The Bulls can continue to be patient and wait for Lonzo Ball to get healthy to see how this roster pans out, or they can accept reality by retooling as Ball continues to recover.
After signing a five-year max deal, Zach LaVine finds himself in Blake Griffin territory, surrounded by trade rumors presented by the media and fans. There are three different trades the Chicago Bulls should consider since it would make them instant title contenders.
Zach LaVine Trade Package To The Toronto Raptors
Chicago Bulls Trade: Zach LaVine
Toronto Raptors Trade: OG Anunoby & Gary Trent Jr.
Neither OG Anunoby nor Gary Trent Jr. has had an All-Star season in their NBA career. However, both are highly talented players built for a win-nows team and fit perfectly alongside DeMar DeRozan. The Toronto Raptors have struggled tremendously this season but have a lot of talent on their roster, similar to the Bulls’ situation. Their biggest weakness is having a scoring threat who can create their bucket, which is precisely what Zach LaVine does. For the Bulls, both Anunoby and Trent Jr. are averaging above 18 points per game this season and shooting above 35% from behind the arc. They could fill out the roster with their tough defense but also make up for LaVine’s three-point shooting and points per game. The Raptors will have two stars in Pascal Siakam and Zach LaVine, and a promising player in Scottie Barnes.
Zach LaVine Trade Package To The Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls Trade: Zach LaVine & Coby White
Dallas Mavericks Trade: Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Reggie Bullock
Per ESPN, there has been some chatter of the Dallas Mavericks expressing interest in Zach LaVine ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Mavericks are a win-now team with Luka Doncic, arguably the best player in the NBA today. Their biggest weakness is finding scoring relief for Doncic, which LaVine is more than capable of doing for the Mavericks. The Bulls could also throw in Coby White in the deal to create backcourt space for the incoming players. The Mavericks could use all the scoring help they can get. The Bulls can fill their starting lineup with high-quality players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Reggie Bullock. Neither are considered stars, but they all fit the same timeline as DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, allowing the Bulls to make a serious push for the playoffs.
Zach LaVine Trade Package To The Indiana Pacers
Chicago Bulls Trade: Zach LaVine
Indiana Pacers Trade: Buddy Hield & Myles Turner
Both teams should consider themselves lucky if they can complete a deal like this one. Simply put, the Pacers have been shopping this trade package the entire summer and were unsuccessful in finding a suitor. Swapping Buddy Hield for Zach LaVine and then adding Myles Turner on top of that may not be the package the Pacers envisioned at the start of the summer, but the reality is slowly kicking in. The Pacers have a superstar on their hands with Tyrese Haliburton. They need to put talent around him so he can continue to grow. LaVine is the perfect fit next to Haliburton since he is a pass-first guard looking for his teammates before himself. LaVine is a shoot-first guard looking to score on every possession. The Bulls would be adding much-needed size in the front court. They can have the flexibility of playing Nikola Vucevic and Myles Turner together since they can both play behind the arc, but now they can both rebound too. Vucevic failed to sign an extension with the Bulls last summer. A deal like this could give the Bulls an insurance policy if Vucevic walks in free agency.
We want lavine….
This nonsense tells me you only subscribe to narratives vs actually watching games. Lavine is not a guard who is trying to score on EVERY possession. He’s not a gunner. He is a scorer, but he does move and share the ball. Often times Lavine is passing up shots to get teammates involved. If you’re going to write trade proposals, at least get the analysis of a player accurate.
I will quit watching the bulls after 35 years if ANY of these RIDICULOUSLY stupid trades happen
Deal for torronto
Kind of doubt there is a Lavine trade that makes the Bulls instant contenders, and not because Lavine is all that (he’s not). This team won’t be a real contender until they have a superstar; until then, anything that looks great in the regular season (which hasn’t really happened this year) is the work of a pretender, not a contender.