Getty Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls.
Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas expects Zach LaVine to be with the team when they open training camp, per a conversation with team beat writers relayed by NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson on July 15. This is despite trade rumors around the two-time All-Star.
Training camps open in late September and early October around the NBA. A lot can change before then, including what has been a stagnant trade market for LaVine.
LaVine has been available for trade since the 2023 deadline.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz offers a potential solution with a three-team trade proposal that would give LaVine a homecoming, sending the guard to Los Angeles where he lives and trains in the offseason.
Swartz’s proposal would see the Bulls send LaVine to the Los Anegeles Clippers along with the two second-round picks they received from trading DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings.
Bulls receive:
Clippers receive:
- Zach LaVine
- 2025 second-round pick (via DEN)
- 2026 second-round pick (via DEN)
- 2028 second-round pick (via CHI)
- 2029 second-round pick (via CHI)
Nuggets receive:
“The Los Angeles Clippers meet the criteria for a team desperate enough to take on Zach LaVine, as the UCLA product can serve as a cheaper and younger version of Paul George who’s now on a shorter contract as well,” Swartz wrote on July 17. “Chicago is finally free of LaVine’s deal, giving the franchise a lot more financial flexibility moving forward.”
Bulls Land $43 Million Package in Proposed Trade
Hyland averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 rebounds across 37 appearances for the Clippers in 2023-24, all of which were career-low marks.
He is in the last year of a four-year, $10.7 million contract with a $4.1 million cap hit in 2024-25.
Adversity is nothing to me, i been through the worst already. i’m ready
Powell is in the fourth year of a five-year $90 million contract with a $19.2 million charge in 2024-25. He tied his career-high with 76 appearances in 2023-24 but his 13.9/2.6/1.1 final stat line marked his worst campaign in each category since the 2018-19 season.
Tucker averaged 1.7 points and 2.7 boards in 31 appearances, landing with the Clippers in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2023.
Tucker has an $11.5 million hit in 2024-25, the final year of a three-year, $33 million contract.
Nnaji averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in his career-high 58 appearances for the Nuggets in 2023-24. He is starting a four-year, $32 million contract extension and has an $8.9 million cap hit in 2024-25.
The Bulls would have to find ways to reduce their roster if a deal like this went through. They already have 14 guaranteed contracts as of July 17, per Spotrac.
Bulls Would Shed Zach LaVine and Future Salary in Proposed Deal
Swartz’s proposal would add roughly $795,000 to the Bulls’ bottom line in 2024-25 with the incoming foursome counting $43,827,708 against the cap.
LaVine is owed $43 million in Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million pact.
However, this proposal could save the Bulls as much as $17.3 million in 2025-26. LaVine is set to count just under $46 million against the cap in 2025-26, while only Nnaji and Powell currently have contracts through that season.
Hyland is slated for restricted free agency after the 2024-25 campaign, so the final incoming cap hit could grow significantly.
The Bulls would still have control over that situation.
Swartz’s proposal would free the Bulls of a burdensome contract while giving them two players they can use on the court or in a subsequent trade in Powell and Tucker as well two others they can look to develop in Hyland and Nnaji.