The Chicago Bulls’ offseason could largely hinge on one move.
There is mutual interest in bringing DeMar DeRozan back in free agency. Nikola Vucevic is locked in for two more years. The only player with major trade value to the Bulls is two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.
They have tried to offload LaVine over the last two seasons but to no avail. His injury history – he only appeared in 25 games this season – and exorbitant salary have been hindrances.
LaVine is owed nearly $140 million through 2026-27 on a five-year, $215.1 million contract.
“It might pain the Bulls’ brass to let go of LaVine and not get a draft pick in return, but if draft picks were available for the oft-injured and overpaid scorer, a deal surely would have been done by now,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote on May 7. “This return isn’t much, but it does deliver three usable rotation players who are all on more reasonable contracts than LaVine.”
Buckley suggests a hypothetical trade package that would send LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Bulls get:
– D’Angelo Russell
– Gabe Vincent
– Jarred Vanderbilt
Lakers get:
– Zach LaVine
“Even if the Bulls don’t plan on keeping all of them, each would be far easier to trade than LaVine is now,” Buckley wrote. “And if they decide to finally blow up this roster, any one of the three might help deliver assets for an overdue rebuild.
This return is missing two things the Bulls seek in return for LaVine.
Proposed Bulls-Lakers Trade Swaps Disappointing Investments
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported in June of 2023 that the Bulls sought at least two variations of packages for LaVine in a potential trade.
“One league source said the Bulls would be focused on getting a good young player, multiple first-round picks and salary filler if they decide to trade LaVine,” Johnson wrote. “Another said one first-round pick and an established, high-end player might be sufficiently intriguing.”
Vanderbilt, 25, is the youngest player in the hypothetical deal above.
He is already on his fifth team in five seasons. He also has a fairly defined skill set, albeit one the Bulls lacked this season and could use in 2024-25.
Russell, 28, was one of the Lakers’ most consistent performers this past season. But his postseason yips popped up for the second year in a row. He is also a potential free agent with an $18.7 million player option for next season.
Vincent was one of the Lakers’ key signings just last offseason.
He signed a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency. He was coming off a strong postseason run and an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
However, Vincent made just 11 appearances during the regular season. He dealt with a knee injury for most of the campaign. When he finally returned, he was far from the player the Lakers saw with Miami. Vincent shot 10.7% from deep in the regular season and 14.3% in the playoffs.
Salary-Dumping Zach LaVine Could Be Bulls’ Best Option
This package is not what the Bulls have sought. But it could also be their best option if Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas is serious about change. The hypothetical package above would shave roughly $3 million off the books next season.
LaVine will count for more than $43 million in 2024-25. Russell, Vanderbilt, and Vincent will cost roughly $40 million combined.
LaVine and Vanderbilt’s (four years, $48 million) deals are the only ones that run beyond ’25-’26.
This trade would give the Bulls a shorter path to more financial flexibility if they run the potential new trio alongside DeRozan, Vucevic, and Coby White. It would also give them more breathing room under the luxury tax to make other moves.
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