If you blinked, you might have missed the systematic dismantling of the Chicago Bulls. No, not in their 132-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns which dropped them to 9-12 on the season, though fortunately for them they did not fall any further down and still sit 12th in the Eastern Conference landscape.
Their path forward is murky at best since they’ve shown an ability to hang with any team as well as lose to anyone both in spectacular fashion. It was the latter against Phoenix and it could be more of the same against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Despite their reluctance to break this group up, teams will come calling if they remain on this downward trend.
And when they do, many of them are going to call about Zach LaVine.
A BS Bulls Breakup
“Trade LaVine to the Knicks,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons urged on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ on November 30. “LaVine’s coming off the knee injury in May, he doesn’t look the same. But, if you’re the Knicks, you’re like, ‘Well, we would’ve signed him for the max in the summer so we’ll get him anyway’. So do [Obi] Toppin, and [expiring contracts], and maybe make them take back the [Evan] Fournier trade, and maybe do a top-4 protected first next year…and get Zach LaVine and roll the dice that his knee will be fine.”
Bulls Get:
- Evan Fournier
- Obi Toppin
- Cam Reddish
- 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-4 Protected)
Knicks Get:
- Zach LaVine
Ian Begley of SNY reported in 2021 that the “Knicks have been interested in a deal since the summer [of 2020]” and were among the teams “monitoring” LaVine’s situation ahead of what some expected to be contentious contract negotiations such as the ones that took place in 2018.
The Bulls waited for the Sacramento Kings to sign LaVine to an offer sheet before eventually matching it.
He said this past summer that he had not forgotten those negotiations but, ultimately, he returned on a five-year, $215 million deal without so much as a visit to another team. Could the Bulls’ struggles encourage the front office to fields calls on the two-time All-Star?
Maybe but that does not seem likely with the commitment they made to him.
His contract is the largest in franchise history surpassing the combined earnings of Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose combined.
Grading the Deal
If the Bulls were on board with this deal, getting Toppin back would be somewhat ironic after they passed on the 24-year-old high-flyer in the 2020 NBA Draft in favor of embattled forward Patrick Williams with the fourth-overall pick.
Toppin is averaging 8.4 points on 55.5% true shooting with 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists across 21 games, all off the bench, for former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Like Williams, a contractual decision will need to be made on Toppin sooner rather than later.
Who are NBA Dunk Champ Obi Toppin’s favorite dunkers?
“Vince Carter; Zach LaVine; Aaron Gordon; Gerald Green;…for sure my dad gotta be in there; and me – I’m my favorite dunker”
Fournier, 30, is averaging 6.9 points on 47.4% true shooting with 2.1 boards and 1.7 assists in 13 games with seven starts. He is in the third year of a four-year, $73 million contract, though the final year is a team option.
The x-factor in the deal is Cam Reddish, the former 10th-overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks – the same year the Bulls selected Coby White seventh overall.
He was traded and has found his footing in New York after a rough start.
A 6-foot-8 forward with guard skills, Reddish is averaging 9.2 points on 57% true shooting with 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Similar to Toppin and Williams, Reddish is in the final year of his contract with an uncertain future just like his draftmate White.
The pieces would help the Bulls – ironically, they would fit a team led by the typically springy guard – right down to replenishing their draft coffers.
But the price of the 27-year-old swingman is too steep even in his diminished state.
Return on Investment
The Bulls’ commitment aside, it is clear LaVine has not been the same player this season. He was adamant that he was fine and head coach Billy Donovan noted the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest champion’s “pop” was back.
There was footage of LaVine dunking over the summer. But his explosiveness has not been the same even in the occasional glimpses.
Zach heard y’all liked dunks
He only had one turnover against Phoenix but his decision-making and shot selection have been questionable.
The Bulls would also be selling on their largest investment ever at what is at least the second-lowest value in his career. LaVine arrived in Chicago in 2018 fresh off of a torn ACL only appearing in 24 games that season.
It just doesn’t make much sense for the Bulls to do this type of deal.
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Proposed Trade Sends Bulls Multiple Former Top-10 Picks