The Chicago Bulls have remained ambitious in their pursuit of potential takers for Zach LaVine in a trade.
Despite a report from NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson that they were potentially ready to come down from an asking price that has stalled previous talks, the Bulls targeted Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors.
“What was being talked behind the scenes were the Chicago Bulls trying to propose Zach LaVine to the Golden State Warriors for a package centered around Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins,” Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported on June 30. “The Warriors, that was something they didn’t feel was feasible. And so talks really didn’t get off the ground much.”
Paul, 39, averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds last season.
He also has a history with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. However, he had a $30 million cap hit in the final year of a four-year, $120 million contract.
Wiggins, LaVine’s former teammate with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also won a championship with the Warriors in 2022, averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists last season.
He is entering the second year of a four-year, $109 million contract. The 29-year-old forward also has a $30 million player option for the final season in 2026-27.
The Bulls would have added roughly $13 million to their books with just those players in a deal.
Zach LaVine’s Contract an Albatross for Bulls
Paul and Wiggins would have counted $56 million against the Bulls’ cap if they had completed the trade with just those players involved. LaVine, 29, is entering Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract.
He will count $43 million against the cap with a $48.9 million player option for the final year of the deal (2026-27).
For the Warriors, that would have meant taking on an additional $17 million in 2024-25 and $18 million more in both 2025-26 and 2026-27 if LaVine were to pick up his option. Conversely, the Bulls would have been able to do what the Warriors did, with Paul’s contract non-guaranteed.
Haynes reports that Golden State approached Paul about pushing his guarantee date back.
That did not happen. Instead of agreeing to the Bulls’ offer, the Warriors’ front office opted to clear Paul from their books.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks weighed in on the barren trade market for LaVine dating back to last season. The guard’s injury history and exorbitant salary have curtailed interest.
LaVine is coming off a 25-game campaign in 2023-24 due to a foot injury.
Former Exec: Bulls Facing Uphill Battle to Trade Zach LaVine
“Literally, there is no market for Zach LaVine,” Marks said in a free agency preview video on June 30.”They are trying to give him away and attach a first-round pick – I’ve been told that by multiple, multiple people. And that is not happening.”
The Bulls’ plight could impact more than just LaVine, with Marks also pointing to DeMar DeRozan’s free agency.
“If there’s no unloading of the LaVine contract, then DeRozan is just basically hanging in the wind. Keep an eye on Philadelphia if they have available cap space – could have around $14, $15 million after it’s all said and done,” Marks — who spent two decades in the Brooklyn Nets‘ front office — said. “I’m a huge fan of his. I think he’s a $25-to-$30 million guy; I’ve said this all along.”
DeRozan rejected the Bulls’ offer worth up to $40 million annually, per Johnson.
But Haynes reported on June 26 that the two sides had not been in communication as the Bulls worked to trade LaVine.
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