BREAKING: Chicago Bulls Trade Zach LaVine - The Tank Is On
Moving on from the former Slam Dunk champion had to be done. But was it done properly?
IT WAS inevitable.
On Sunday night — after months, if not years of trying to find a taker — the Chicago Bulls moved Zach LaVine in a three-team blockbuster:
CHICAGO RECEIVES
Zach Collins
Kevin Huerter
Tre Jones
2025 first round draft pick (SA via CHI)
SACRAMENTO RECEIVES
Sidy Cissoko
Zach LaVine
Three first round picks
Three second round picks
SAN ANTONIO RECEIVES
De’Aaron Fox
Jordan McLaughlin
Sacramento won this trade, and it’s not even close. They walk away with a former All-Star in the midst of a career year and a buttload of draft capital, all in exchange for Fox, to whom they has zero interest in giving a max deal.
San Antonio did quite well themselves, landing a top-ten point guard while retaining their own 2025 first-rounder — so in effect, they used a lottery round pick on Fox, who will be a wonderful foil for Victor Wembanyama.
This deal won’t guarantee either of these teams a spot in the Western Conference playoffs — the Play-In is a possibility — but in three years, they’ll both be right in the mix.
But this is Chicago Sports Stuff, so let’s talk Bulls.
THIS DEAL was all about the draft pick, period, exclamation mark, end of story.
An inconsistent marksman, Huerter is under contract until the end of next season. so Chicago is likely stuck with him for at least the next calendar year, as he’s taking in almost $17 million this season and nearly $18 million the next.
The Maryland product in the midst of a brutal year, averaging 7.9 points and shooting 30.2% from three, both career-worsts. He doesn’t fill a position of need — the Bulls have a zillion combo guards — and likely won’t see more than the 20 minutes he averaged in Sacramento.
Jones — who’s spent the season spelling Devin Vassell and Chris Paul — is averaging 4.4 points in 16 minutes a night. His contract is up at season’s end, and being that the Bulls have a zillion combo guards, the chances of him remaining in a Bulls uni beyond this spring are beyond incremental.
The oft-injured Collins averaged 4.6 points in 11 minutes playing behind Wemby in San Antonio. He’s signed through next season, and like Huerter, his $18 million deal will difficult to move, so get used to seeing him perched at the end of the bench.
Save for the draft pick, this is a useless return for Chicago…and that’s exactly the way it should be. The franchise needs to bottom out in order to land one of the studs at the top of what looks like a stellar 2025 Draft, i.e., Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, or Dylan Harper.
Is this a good deal? Meh — it would’ve been nice to get at least one useful player in return. But the team likely isn’t done shedding assets, so let’s revisit after Thursday’s deadline.