The Chicago Bulls’ likely next order of business has been their most pressing issue since before the season ended. Both sides remain intent on finding a new home for two-time All-Star Zach LaVine via trade but have been unable to locate a third party to take him.
The Bulls’ asking price has come down substantially. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported a desire for at least a starting-caliber player and draft capital in June 2023.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported on July 5 that their efforts to attach a first-round pick failed.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey suggests a “blow it up” trade scenario, noting the Golden State Warriors could be “one team that can justify” taking back the training three years and $137.9 million of LaVine’s five-year, $215.1 million contract in a trade.
He offered a proposal to make the deal work for both sides.
Bulls get:
– Andrew Wiggins
– Gary Payton II
– Kevon Looney
Warriors get:
– Zach LaVine
– Second-round picks x2
“For Chicago, the justification is obvious. It’s already leaning toward a tank after the DeRozan deal. If the Bulls can now move LaVine and Nikola Vučević, they’ll be firmly in the hunt for the league’s worst record and a better chance to land Flagg,” Bailey wrote on July 9.
“Thanks to Michael Jordan and the size of the Chicago media market, this is an iconic team, but it hasn’t really had an icon-like talent since pre-injury Derrick Rose.
“Flagg may be the kind of player capable of restoring some of that luster.”
Flagg is a 6-foot-8 Duke commit who turns 18 years old in December. He snapped what was an 11-year drought in getting selected to work out against Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
The last college players to do that were former Bull Doug McDermott, now of the Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart.
More than attend, Flagg held his own against a stacked Team USA frontcourt.
Cooper Flagg Building Hype Ahead of 2025 Draft
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo projected Flagg to go No. 1 in their 2025 mock draft on June 28. That could put the Bulls in a race to the bottom of the standings. They were ninth in the Eastern Conference standings and had the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
“Cooper Flagg has evolved into one of the most hyped prospects of the decade with a skill level that’s starting to catch his special athleticism, passing IQ and defensive instincts,” Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote on July 8. “He’ll still do the most damage next year in transition, around the basket, blocking shots and flying around at both ends. But he’s made continuous strides with his handle, creation and shotmaking.”
“The opportunity, it was great,” Flagg said, per Associated Press reporter Tim Reynolds on July 9. “It was a blessing to be here. I think just the physicality, and just the level of where I want to get to, there’s a lot to get better at, a lot where I need to keep improving. This showed just how big the details are.”
The Bulls owe their 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. But it is protected for the top-10, giving the Bulls additional incentive to be bad in 2024-25.
They would also have to cut two players.
Their roster currently stands at 15 contracts. They have until January before the full $1.8 million of Onuralp Bitim’s salary in 2024-25 is guaranteed. He is in Year 2 of a three-year, $4.6 million contract.
The Bulls would still have to cut another player, which is just one of several potential hurdles to this trade scenario.
Warriors Unlikely Trade Partners for Bulls
Wiggins is in Year 2 of a four-year, $109 million pact with a $26.3 million cap hit in 2024-25. Looney has an $8 million charge in the final year of his three-year, $22.5 million deal. Payton accepted his $9.1 million player option in the final year of his three-year, $21.9 million contract.
This trade would add $400,000 to the Bulls’ books for 2024-25. But it would shave more than $17 million for 2025-26, with only Wiggins under contract.
That the inverse is true for the Warriors is one of several potential hurdles this idea could face.
The Bulls traded DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings, with the deal finalized on July 6. But they had talks with the Warriors before that. The Warriors rejected the Bulls’ offer of LaVine for a package featuring Wiggins and Chris Paul, per Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes on June 30.
Golden State instead chose to waive Paul, later trading for Buddy Hield who offers a similar skill set to LaVine at a lower cost.
It could all point to LaVine at least entering the 2024-25 season with the Bulls.
Slater reported on July 9 that the Warriors are comfortable waiting out former Bull Lauri Markkanen’s situation with the Utah Jazz, which could come by August 6. Otherwise, Slater notes, they will roll with their current group.
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