When the Chicago Bulls signed Zach LaVine to a five-year max contract in the 2022 offseason, they thought they had their franchise player locked up for the long term. But that didn’t happen. Chicago lost consecutive games to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. LaVine has been plagued by various injuries. The Bulls have stagnated and struggled without him. Through it all, his position in Chicago has become much more precarious.
Of course, his valuation around the league has changed. Had LaVine been serious about free agency in 2022, he would have found multiple buyers. By the time the Bulls started to seriously consider a trade last season, the market had cooled. No team was known to have made a substantial offer — in fact, no offers at all. LaVine is now widely considered a negative asset, and the Bulls have reportedly made more than a dozen trade proposals for LaVine to other teams.
The question now isn’t whether the Bulls want to trade LaVine, but whether they can do it. Chigao traded guard Alex Caruso to the Thunder earlier this week, but could LaVine be next on the list?
How did this happen? What made LaVine such a toxic asset? And are there any teams that still make sense for him? Let’s address these questions and take a deeper look into LaVine’s future.
Why he’s in trade rumors
LaVine is due roughly $138 million over the next three seasons. That’s a lot of money for any team, but not for the stingy Bulls. Chicago avoids the luxury tax like the plague, and could be in a position to pay it next season if they re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams this offseason. The Bulls aren’t really going to take the risk of doing that. Letting go of LaVine is the best way to save money now and in the future.
LaVine’s contract would make sense if he were a consistent superstar. He’s not that player. He’s a two-time All-Star but has never earned All-NBA honors. He’s been trusted as a three-level scorer for a few seasons, but he’s never defended at an above-average level, he’s not a great playmaker and he lacks versatility in a league that increasingly demands positional versatility. He’s the kind of combo-guard scorer the NBA loved 10 or 15 years ago but is increasingly rare now.
We haven’t even mentioned injuries yet. He just had season-ending foot surgery. He has a torn ACL on his resume. He has a ton of minor injuries that kept him out of games. He’s 29 years old. Even if he had never been injured in his career, he would be overpaid by today’s standards. His injuries make him a big risk with little reward.
Why the Bulls should keep him
It wouldn’t be by choice. The same factors that drove the Bulls to make a trade would scare the rest of the league. Nobody wants that contract. Nobody wants to bet on him staying healthy. Even if those things weren’t true, prototypical players like him are not in style right now. Teams want big, multi-position defenders like the Celtics. LaVine isn’t that, and he never will be.
There’s also the fact that the Bulls aren’t particularly ambitious. LaVine’s contract could kill the championship hopes of other teams. The Bulls have never operated like a team with any real championship hopes. They’re trying to play reasonably competitive basketball without paying the tax. If they can keep LaVine without paying the tax? Sure, no harm. His contract doesn’t impact any long-term plans they’re trying to execute, because there’s no evidence that there are plans here. The Bulls have no problem keeping LaVine, so why would they part ways with him and give up assets?
What kind of destination would be appropriate?
It’s hard to imagine a team willing to trade for LaVine. No team can win a championship with even one healthy LaVine, much less one injured. If anyone were to acquire him, it would be a rebuild-minded team. There may be a team that could restore his value in a less risky environment, either because the Bulls gave them the assets to do so or because they believe they can turn around and trade him in a year or two if he’s in good form. The list of teams that would make sense in that regard is short. Here are three possibilities:
Brooklyn Nets: This story wouldn’t make sense if the Nets didn’t accept the reality that they won’t be able to acquire a star player in 2025 free agency, but they could easily swap LaVine for Ben Simmons’ expiring contract. Such a move would at least give the Nets a little boost. If LaVine can stay healthy, he and Mikal Bridges could lead the Nets to the playoffs. This isn’t a lofty goal, but it would at least give the Nets hope of using up the draft picks they owe Houston before embarking on a full-scale rebuild. They might be able to get there sooner by just trading Bridges, but so far the Nets have shown no intention of doing so.
Washington Wizards: The Wizards aren’t looking to move anywhere anytime soon and don’t have much room to spend elsewhere. Why not make an offer like a LaVine for Jordan Poole swap? It would save the Bulls money, give them a chance to bolster their young roster, and send LaVine to a team that would give him all the chance he needs to regain his star status or, at the very least, improve his performance in Washington. The Wizards would need assets to consider this, but the easiest way to trade a bad contract is to take on another one.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons were one of a few teams that reportedly expressed interest in LaVine before his season-ending surgery. The Pistons have Trajean Langdon as their new president of basketball operations and will have a new head coach after firing Monty Williams. Detroit is severely lacking in shooters and doesn’t have a single player making more than $15 million next season. With Cade Cunningham and Jaeden Ivey in the wings, the Pistons can afford to take a big gamble, but it’s probably not a gamble they should take.
What is the latest report?
NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson recently wrote that “both sides are willing to make a deal here” and that Chicago’s asking price has “dropped significantly,” meaning they would trade him in a cap dump. Of course, the time for a cap dump may have passed. For someone to take on LaVine’s contract now would require significant value in the form of draft equity. Would the Bulls make such a move? It’s hard to say at this point. But, at least for now, Chicago seems to at least acknowledge that LaVine is not an asset with positive value.
