Six fake Zach LaVine trade ideas for the Chicago Bulls

It’s January 15, and that means NBA trade season is officially upon us.

Trade talk for the Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine begin in earnest now that almost every free agent who signed this past summer is trade eligible.

A few things to keep in mind before the ensuing chaos.

• Money talks. The Bulls need some cap relief if they want to bring DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams and Andre Drummond back next season, and to carve out space for Coby White triggering incentive-based bonuses.
  
• Staying under the tax (for all teams) is key here. As is matching roster spots. 7-for-1 trades don’t work given roster spot limits. The Bulls currently have 14 under roster, so they can take on one more player than they ship out.
  
• Bulls are prioritizing players that can help them win now and fulfill their Play-In dreams/destiny. That means they likely aren’t getting any pick-oriented deals.

LaVine’s market has been described as “barren” by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bulls may need to attach an asset to move on from him, according to LA Times’ Dan Woike. I remain skeptical that teams won’t become interested in LaVine (who has become very underrated in the way he is discussed nationally), but I tried to be as reasonable as possible in coming up with trades.

With that being said, there is a case that it makes sense to retain LaVine past the February 8 deadline and try to work something out this summer. More on that in a Diehard only article coming tomorrow, but first, here are six fake trades for the Bulls to move on from LaVine.

1. Lakers take the plunge

Bulls receive D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 first-round pick.

Los Angeles Lakers receive LaVine and Terry Taylor.

Why the Bulls do it: Resolution. Russell is a negative value contract who does not contribute to the way the Bulls want to play, though he will be an expiring contract next season. Hachimura is in the first of a three-year deal, and while he could potentially help the Bulls now, he’s probably not considered a real asset.

The Bulls take a flier on rookie Hood-Schifino, but the real prize of the deal is a 2029 pick (ideally unprotected) from LA. In lieu of Austin Reaves, who the Lakers understandably don’t want to move, this pick is their best tradeable asset.

The problem here for the Bulls is that this doesn’t open up any cap room for next year. They would still need to make additional moves to clear out space and/or medically retire Lonzo Ball in order to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams.

Why the Lakers do it: The Lakers are in 11th place and no one can convince me LaVine replacing Russell and Hachimura’s minutes wouldn’t help that team. I understand the reservations about the size of LaVine’s deal, but that’s why they’d be able to get him so cheaply. Unless something better comes along, this would be a steal for the Lakers.

Apologies to Taylor, who makes a few appearances on this list. Obviously, nothing personal, but matching roster spots must be accounted for, and Taylor is buried at the end of the Bulls rotation.

2. Kings get serious

Bulls receive Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell and a 2026 first-round pick.

Sacramento Kings receive LaVine and Torrey Craig.

Why the Bulls do it: All three members of the Kings are having down years. Barnes is facing the aging curve, Huerter can’t hit a shot and Mitchell has fallen out of the Kings rotation. But the Bulls could capitalize on floor spacing, movement shooting and defense while getting younger and more cost-controlled.

Huerter, if he can find his jumper, would be a perfect fit between Coby White and DeMar DeRozan as a ball mover and off-ball shooter.

Similar to the Lakers deal, this does not help the Bulls from a cap space perspective going into next season.

Why the Kings do it: The Kings are tied for fourth in the West, but are just one game ahead of seventh. If they want to secure a playoff berth, LaVine could turbocharge the offense and provide half court scoring when the game inevitably slows down.

Craig is here instead of Taylor to replace the power forward position the Kings lose shipping out Barnes, and along with LaVine, would actually be a defensive upgrade for Sacramento.

3. Three-teamer?

Bulls receive Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian-Finney Smith and Noah Clowney.

Brooklyn Nets receive LaVine, Taylor, Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones.

Washington Wizards receive Ben Simmons, Dariq Whitehead, Noah Clowney and a 2027 top-eight protected first-round pick via Philadelphia, a 2025 second-round pick via Miami and a 2028 second-round pick via Brooklyn.

Why the Bulls do it: Dorian Finney-Smith is an elite 3-and-D wing who can guard up through center in a pinch. He played for Billy Donovan at Florida and would be a perfect fit in the Bulls scheme. Spencer Dinwiddie could step in to recover some of the scoring burden left in LaVine’s absence, but as an expiring deal, he would open up almost $30 million for the Bulls next offseason.

There’s not a lot of upside in this deal for the Bulls, so a swing on the rookie Clowney helps offset the lack of picks coming back to Chicago. And the savings don’t hurt either.

Why the Nets do it: The Nets are already without their pick this season, so there’s no reason to try to go anywhere but up. Adding LaVine, Kuzma and Jones would bolster their rotation and slot in some scorers around Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. They would also greatly benefit from a caretaker point guard.

They’d also get off of Simmons’ contract, while maintaining most of their future draft equity and moveable deals for whenever they want to try to acquire a star to slot into a rotation stacked with high-level role players and secondary stars.

Why the Wizards do it: I actually love this move for Washington, who get rookie Whitehead, in addition to a future first and two seconds to take on Ben Simmons contract. They’ll try to rehab him and ship him elsewhere as an expiring next season. This type of move is very much in line with the Wizards strategy to collect picks in order take on distressed assets.

4. Pistons desperation moves

Bulls receive Joe Harris, James Wiseman and Jaden Ivey.

Detroit Pistons receive LaVine, Taylor.

Why the Bulls do it: Unlike the majority of these other deals, Ivey represents a blue chip prospect that the Bulls could start to build around. Though Harris and Wiseman aren’t going to help them win games this year, from an asset play, this is probably the best deal on the list.

The Bulls could let Harris and Wiseman walk after the year to clear out a ton of cap room to retain their guys, and potentially go out and sign more contributors on the open market.

Why the Pistons do it: After trading Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks to the Wizards for Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari, the Pistons are clearly prioritizing veterans, shooting and cap space to clear out enough space to make more moves.

Enter LaVine, who is better than anyone the Pistons could reasonably sign with cap space this summer. In this scenario, the Pistons could unburden Cade Cunningham while retaining their pick equity for more expensive players down the line.

5. Go time for Orlando

Bulls receive Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Jett Howard and a top-5 protected pick via Denver in 2025.

Orlando Magic receive LaVine and Taylor.

Why the Bulls do it: Despite the injury flags, Fultz has been a very productive player. His defense and transition play would be a boon for the Bulls while Harris spaces the floor. Both would contribute now, while entering free agency in the summer.

The Bulls would also get a flier on Jett Howard (the player the Magic drafted with the Bulls pick) and a protected pick via Denver to satisfy the Bulls desire for win-now contributors and longer-term assets.

Why the Magic do it: After a supremely hot start, the Magic have cooled off and may want to capitalize on their chance to get their young core some valuable playoff experience.

This is probably more than the Magic would realistically give up, but without needing to add any prime assets or disrupt their current core, they would add some half court offensive initiation, and a dynamic scorer to go alongside Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black.

6. Pacers get frisky

Bulls receive Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Ben Sheppard and the worse pick of Oklahoma City, Houston, Los Angeles Clippers or Utah Jazz.

Indiana Pacers receive Zach LaVine and Jevon Carter.

Why the Bulls do it: Shooting, versatility, cap relief. Hield and Brown could step in right away and help improve the Bulls within their current team concepts. The Bulls would have a team option on Brown, where they could let him walk, re-negotiate a longer-term deal or play it out for one more year. Sheppard and a late first-round pick (likely Oklahoma City, which would be 29th if the draft was today), give the the Bulls some future potential.

Why the Pacers do it: The Pacers have been a great story this year, dominating the regular season with incredible pace and three-point shooting. LaVine would fit in swimmingly, while also giving them a go-to scoring option when defenses inevitably lock in on Tyrese Haliburton come Playoff time.

Getting LaVine without having to give up real draft equity, Bennedict Mathurin or Jarace Walker would allow the Pacers to retain flexibility to make another move. The opportunity cost, however, is it would likely take them out of the Pascal Siakam running, as they would no longer have matching salary, or max cap space this summer.

Considering what LaVine’s value appears to be around the league, I tried to be as realistic as possible. None of these trades are particularly inspiring to me, and there’s a real possibility I have the Bulls getting back way more than they would in reality.

So if what the Bulls are looking at in return is markedly less, does it really make sense for the Bulls to move LaVine for the sake of dumping him? Be on the lookout for a Diehard article coming tomorrow exploring the argument to keep LaVine past the deadline.