Getty Zach LaVine looks on during a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets.
All is not well in the Chicago Bulls‘ corner of the basketball universe, and not just because of Lonzo Ball’s unending injury saga, either. Following Sunday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, the team has lost three consecutive games — and four of its last five — dropping its record to 9-14 on the campaign.
For a team that returned largely the same roster after having sat atop the East standings fairly deep into last season, that’s bad times. And now there could be trouble brewing with All-Star guard Zach LaVine, who has been critical of some of head coach Billy Donovan’s recent maneuvers.
Whether that’s something actually worth fretting over or not, one can’t help but wonder whether this iteration of the Bulls can actually get back to the upper crust of the conference, even if everyone is healthy and accounted for. If not, it may just be time to start selling off pieces for a reboot.
And while LaVine probably isn’t the first (or second… or third, et al.) name that comes to mind in going down that road — his recent quibbles notwithstanding — one analyst just floated a mega-trade sending him out of the Windy City.
B/R Pitches Monster Deal With Mavs
In his bag right now.
Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley just dropped a batch of “new trade ideas for the NBA’s top contenders,” one of which involved the Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks.
“For Chicago, this would be a concession that the current construction of the roster isn’t working,” Buckley wrote. “Maybe it feels too early to pull the plug, but LaVine won’t be trade-eligible until Jan. 15, so the Bulls’ need for a change of direction could be evident by then.”
Assuming Arturas Karnisovas and the rest of Chicago’s leadership did eventually decide to shake things up, here’s the deal that Buckley is proposing:
- Dallas Mavericks receive G Zach LaVine and G Coby White
- Chicago Bulls receive G/F Tim Hardaway Jr, G Josh Green, F Reggie Bullock, F/C Davis Bertans and a first-round pick in 2027
The Mavs’ motivation here isn’t hard to grasp; by adding LaVine to the picture and pairing him with Luka Doncic, the club could catapult itself to the top of the table in the Western Conference. Dallas made it all the way to the conference Finals last season with Jalen Brunson providing multi-level offense from the backcourt. It’s worth noting, too, that this occurred while Hardaway was out with injury.
An elite-level creator like LaVine joining the fray would essentially give the Mavs a significantly better version of that same formula. The Bulls’ motivation in Buckley’s proposal is clear, too, but there’s still one big question to be asked about their part in it…
Is That Actually Enough of a Return for LaVine & White?
When teams decide to turn the page on their stars — especially when said stars are locked into long-term deals — accumulating a slew of high-level assets to jumpstart the rebuild is always the order of the day.
Just look at what the Utah Jazz did last summer, snagging quality players like Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Malik Beasley, as well as seven future first-round picks, three pick swaps, two highly though-of incoming rookies and more in deals for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
This trade for LaVine doesn’t come close to matching those ones for future value, and the players coming back aren’t really good enough to keep Chicago in the hunt now, either.