The Chicago Bulls got a big win in overtime against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, December 30, and there is even bigger potential news on the team the day after ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks’ latest trade intel.
According to Bontemps and Marks, the Bulls are viewed as a potential trade destination for New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson.
The deal could even help them offload Zach LaVine.
“One executive suggested that the Pelicans could benefit by trading Williamson as a contract, not a talent. Such a deal would require finding a trade partner, likely a team that has crossed into the harsh second apron of the salary cap, that is desperate for financial relief,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks wrote on December 31.
“A GM brainstorming potential Williamson deals mentioned the Chicago Bulls, who have been shopping guard Zach LaVine for several months, as a possible fit. LaVine, 29, has his own durability issues and a contract due to pay him $95 million over the next two seasons. But he has reminded the league of his talent level by averaging 22.0 points per game with a 63.4% true shooting percentage this season.”
ZION BLOCKS IT AT THE BUZZER.
PELICANS WIN IN PORTLAND.
“I bet Chicago would do that,” the general manager said, per Bontemps and Marks.
Williamson has made six appearances this season. He has not played since November 6 but is making “steady progress” in his recovery, per The Athletic’s Will Guillory on December 19. Per the Pelicans, Williamson will continue to ramp up for a return to action.
The trade deadline is on February 6. The Bulls (15-18) and Pelicans (5-28) will each play 19 more games before then.
No Pressure on Pelicans to Make Trade From Zion Williamson
The Bulls, and particularly executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, could be intrigued by the idea of swapping LaVine for Williamson. Similarly, LaVine has been open to being traded and would be closer to his offseason home in Los Angeles.
But there is no push from his fellow two-time All-Star for a trade to get done.
“Williamson changed representation after suffering the latest injury, hiring WME’s Bill Duffy, a longtime agent who also represents stars such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Chet Holmgren,” Bontemps and Marks wrote. “Sources told ESPN that Duffy has no intention to push for the Pelicans to trade Williamson before the deadline.”
Williamson is in Year 2 of a five-year, $197.2 million contract. There are no options, so the Pelicans have the full life of the deal to decide what to do.
Williamson will count $44.9 million against the cap in 2027-28, the final year of the deal. Notably, there are provisions to protect the team, specifically regarding Williamson’s weight, body fat, and an injury to his right foot.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2019, Williamson is 24 years old, five years younger than LaVine.
The Pelicans star played in a career-high 70 games in 2023-24, but he has just one other season with at least 30 appearances and missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with a foot issue.
the entire world seems to be asking the same question
where is this Zion Williamson?
LaVine, who is in Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million pact, also has a lengthy history of knee issues and missed most of the 2023-24 campaign with a foot issue. Unlike Williamson, LaVine has a player option, worth $48.9 million, for the 2026-27 season.
A trade between the Bulls and Pelicans could work for both sides.
Bulls Trade Pitch Lands Zion Williamson
“An executive for another team speculated that the market for Williamson at this point would be a late first-round pick and salary filler for a good team willing to gamble that he could vault it into contender status,” Bontemps and Marks wrote.
Finding a suitable trade for the Bulls and Pelicans could prove tricky.
According to Sportac, they are hard-capped at the first luxury tax apron. This Heavy Sports trade proposal would trade LaVine with forward Patrick Williams for Williamson and Dejoute Murray.
Bulls get:
- Zion Williamson
- Dejounte Murray
- 2029 first-round pick
Pelicans get:
- Zach LaVine
- Patrick Williams
The Bulls have shown no interest in trading Williams in years past. But Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported in November that the Bulls are “open-minded” about possibly dealing Williams away. Williams remains inconsistent in Year 1 of a five-year, $90 million contract.
Murray is in Year 1 of a four-year, $114 million deal. The Pelicans acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks in July. But he too has come up in trade rumors this season.
“While naturally resistant to trade inquiries for their younger gems — Herb Jones, rookie Yves Missi and Trey Murphy III — word is that the Pelicans are essentially open to trade pitches for pretty much anyone else on the roster apart from those three amid a 5-21 start and more injury woe than even Philadelphia,” Fischer and Marc Stein wrote for The Stein Line on December 15.
Williamson would make Williams superfluous in the starting lineup.
The Bulls could move Williams to the bench. But they still have to find ways to get rookie No. 11 pick Matas Buzelis on the floor. That also complicates moving Williams to small forward.
That is currently LaVine’s position. Murray is a strong leader and a downhill presence. He would give the Bulls another ball handler alongside Josh Giddey in the starting lineup. Giddey would essentially be the other forward on the floor despite being a big point guard.
It would also keep Coby White in the Bulls’ 2-guard.
The Bulls could also try trading Murray in a subsequent deal. He is well past the broken hand that kept him out of all but 16 games this season.
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Rival Exec Name-Drops Bulls in Potential Trade for $197 Million All-Star