Zach LaVine: The Untradable Bull
The Chicago Bulls can't find a new home for their former All-Star. We found five.
APPARENTLY THERE are exactly zero NBA decision-makers who dig Zach LaVine.
For the past two-ish years, the mercurial Washington state native has been on the Chicago Bulls’ trading block, but thanks to a combo platter of his lousy contract and lousier injury history, LaVine remains on the Chi-town roster, much to the consternation of both team and player.
The Bulls are so desperate to jettison the former Slam Dunk Contest champ that they’ve allegedly offered to ship a first round Draft pick to the potential trade partner. (In the real world, we call that a bribe.)
To this point, nary a single franchise is down to acquire LaVine, with or without a bribe in the mix. So as I see it, the Bulls have three options:
Deal LaVine for pennies on the dollar.
Buy out and/or stretch LaVine’s contract.
Keep LaVine around to see if he can both regain his All-Star form and remain healthy, then gauge if he can be moved at or around the trade deadline.
Right now, the Bulls are trending towards a blow-up-slash-youth-movement, a plan that has no place for LaVine. He’ll turn 30 before the 2024-25 season comes to an end, and there’s that aforementioned injury history, and we can’t forget the aforementioned gahr-baj contact.
So for the sake of this article, we’ll roll with option #1.
To that end, here are five potential LaVine deals that could get the Bulls…something. I’m not particularly concerned about whether the something in question is of any use this coming season — a Zach-less roster both somewhat neatens Chicago’s salary cap, while simultaneously clearing up the Bulls’ backcourt logjam. (Keeping LaVine in the mix with Coby White, Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosumnu, Chris Duarte, and possible Lonzo Ball is very extra.)
The rules in this thought experiment are:
No three-team trades.
No Draft capital included on either side.
All trades must be approved by Spotrac’s NBA Trade Machine.
So pay attention, Bulls front office — Chicago Sports Stuff is going to save your franchise.
You’re welcome.
Chicago Receives
Bones Hyland
Terance Mann
Norman Powell
PJ Tucker
LA Clippers receive
Zach LaVine
Dalen Terry
Why it works for the Bulls:
Hyland has one year left on his deal (he’s a restricted free agent after 2024-25), Mann has one (same FA situation as Hyland), Powell has two, and Tucker has one (he’s a UFA after this season). Since this will likely be a lost year in Chicago, let’s take on some lousy deals that can be kicked to the curb next July.
Why it works for the Clippers:
Acquiring a veteran former All-Star for pieces makes great sense for a quality team in semi-flux. Hyland, Mann, Powell, and Tucker won’t help earn the Clips a spot in the West’s top six. On the other hand, while a trio of Lavine, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden might not compete for a top spot, if all three of the above can remain healthy, the three- or four-seed isn’t out of the realm of possibility…although the five- or six-seed feels about right.
Chicago receives
Rui Hachimura
D’Angelo Russell
Gabe Vincent
Los Angeles Lakers receive
Zach LaVine
Dalen Terry
Why it works for the Bulls:
Being that Chicago’s current backcourt is overloaded with combo guards, Russell and Vincent would be flip candidates, although Vincent has two more years on his deal, so it’s doubtful anybody would take him on without a bribe involved. That said, Vincent, when healthy, is a better option than Chicago’s deep bench guy Jevon Carter, so if the Bulls’ FO can somehow offload Russell and Carter — who has one year and just over $6 million left on his deal — and land a young rotation big and/or some Draft capital, that’s huge.
Why it works for the Lakers:
A volume scorer will likely make LeBron James happy, and a happy LeBron makes for a happy locker room, and the Lakers are in sore need of a happy locker room. Also, an Austin Reeves/Zach LaVine backcourt — with LeBron and Anthony Davis holding down the remainder of the hardwood — could be scary.
Chicago receives
Brandon Clarke
Jake LaRavia
Marcus Smart
Memphis receives
Zach LaVine
Why it works for the Bulls:
If Smart is willing to come off the bench for the remainder of his two-year deal, he becomes an immediate top-three Sixth Man of the Year candidate. As for the rest of the haul, Clarke is 27 and Clarke is 22, so they both fit neatly into the Bulls’ youth movement.
Why it works for the Grizzlies:
Assuming Ja Morant is healthy, you’d be looking at a Morant/Desmond Bane/LaVine trio of smalls, with a bench anchored by Scotty Pippen Jr, Vince Williams or GG Jackson, and Santi Aldama. That’s a scary collection of talent, y’all.
Chicago receives
Steven Adams
Dillon Brooks
Jeff Green
Houston receives
Zach LaVine
Why it works for the Bulls:
As it runs through the 2026-27 season, Dillion Brooks’ contract is almost is frustrating as LaVine’s — but Brooks is, of course, way less pricey. On the plus side, the Canada native is an irritant who plays some solid defense, and could evolve into Alex Caruso lite, so having him around for a few years wouldn’t suck. Adams and Green are immediate buyout or waive candidates.
Why it works for the Rockets:
Houston is in sore, sore need of a small forward who can score a bucket or two. A backcourt/wing melange of LaVine, Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Reed Shepard — with star-in-the-making Alperen Sengun holding down the middle — well, yikes.
Chicago receives
Clint Capela
De’andre Hunter
Atlanta receives
Zach LaVine
Why it works for the Bulls:
There’s a caveat here: It needs to be combined with a separate Nikola Vucevic trade. Capela — who’s 30, three years younger than Vooch — is a neat compliment to electric rookie big Matas Buzelis and/or the eternally disappointing Patrick Williams. As for Hunter, it feels like he’s been in the league since the ‘90s, but he’s actually only 26 and would slot nicely in the starting five.
Why it works for the Hawks:
On paper, this one might seem like a stretch for the defensively-challenged Hawks, but hear me out: Atlanta lost Dejounte Murray, so they’re in desperate need of some scoring from the shooting guard position. Capela has shown up in trade rumors for a couple of years, so he’s likely not in the Hawks’ future plans; and between Larry Nance Jr., Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, and Bruno Fernando, they have plenty of options at the five-spot. Suddenly, welcoming LaVine into the fold — who would give them as many, if not more buckets than Murray — seems less stretchy and more sexy.