Getty Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls’ defense took a significant step back last season, going from the fifth-best rating in 2022-23 to the ninth-worst this past season, per NBA.com Advanced Stats. A big reason for that drop-off was their lack of length and athleticism on the perimeter.
With an offseason of expected changes looming, a trade for championship Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins could help boost the Bulls.
Such a move could also help alleviate future roster-building questions.
“The Bulls maybe wouldn’t tear things down to the ground—they’ll want to have some talent around breakout star Coby White—but they could turn over the veteran core,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote on May 29.
“Here, turning [Nikola] Vučević and [Alex] Caruso into Wiggins, a second-round pick and a future first-rounder hurts a little for now but carries the promise of a much better future.”
Here is how Buckley’s hypothetical trade would break down for the Bulls and Warriors.
Bulls get:
– Andrew Wiggins
– 2024 second-round pick (No. 52 overall)
– 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected)
Warriors get:
– Alex Caruso
– Nikola Vucevic
Wiggins is entering Year 2 of a four-year, $109 million contract. He averaged career lows with 13.2 points and 1.7 assists per game last season. He also came off the bench for the first time in his career, starting 59 of his 71 appearances.
The former Minnesota Timberwolves star – and LaVine’s ex-teammate – is set to count $26.3 million against the cap next season and has a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27.
Wiggins, 29, would fit more closely with a timeline that could still include the 29-year-old LaVine.
“Chicago doesn’t sound remotely interested in rebuilding this offseason, but why not? DeMar DeRozan is entering unrestricted free agency. Zach LaVine is already on the trade block. Conditions are perfect for a clean break,” Buckley wrote.
DeRozan would have to be the first domino to fall in Buckley’s scenario, choosing to exit for another team this summer and forcing a shift from the Bulls’ current plan.
LaVine’s role in such a scenario may be moot.
Bulls Could Be Left to Re-Tool Around Zach LaVine
LaVine still has three years and $138 million on his five-year, $215.1 million contract. But his injury history and playing style have added to his trade value falling below what the Bulls have been asking for in return. That trend could continue after another injury-shortened campaign.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson explored a scenario in which Caruso could have to be included to offload LaVine’s contract, noting the Bulls’ likely reluctance in such a scenario.
Bulls brass also likes Vucevic, who was a priority going into last offseason.
Vucevic signed a three-year, $60 million contract before hitting free agency last offseason. The deal was panned at the time, and it could be viewed even worse coming off a season in which the two-time All-Star shot 29.4% from beyond the arc.
That is Vucevic’s lowest mark since he began averaging at least 1.0 deep attempts per game in 2016-17.
Trading the 30-year-old Caruso off back-to-back All-Defensive selections would be selling high.
Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points and shot 40.8% on 4.7 deep looks last season. He is entering the final season of a four-year, $36.9 million contract. The Bulls want to sign the former championship Los Angeles Laker to a contract extension.
It is unclear if potentially losing DeRozan would lead them to shift gears so drastically.
Andrew Wiggins Could Help Address Bulls’ Issues in Offseason Trade
Shifting toward a group has Wiggins and Patrick Williams – assuming he returns in restricted free agency – would help mitigate LaVine’s defensive deficiencies.
He could help solve one of the biggest factors in their defensive dropoff from last season.
Opponents went from shooting 35.7% from deep against the smallish Bulls in 2022-23 to 37% in 2023-24. They improved in the restricted area, allowing opponents to shoot 66.1% last season compared to 66.4% the year before.
The Bulls could turn to their pending free agent, Andre Drummond – who showed well in limited minutes last season – to replace Vucevic in the starting lineup in this trade scenario.