The Chicago Bulls cannot fully embark on their youth movement with some of their higher-priced veterans still on the roster.
Chief among that group is two-time former All-Star Zach LaVine, whose injury history and hefty contract have all proven detrimental along with questions about his ability to contribute to winning basketball at a high level. The Bulls have been unable to find a taker for LaVine.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes suggests a trade sending LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bulls get:
– Austin Reaves
– Jarred Vanderbilt
– Jaxson Hayes
– Rui Hachimura
Lakers get:
– Zach LaVine
“Some have suggested the Bulls would need to include picks to get anyone to take LaVine, so this construction, which has Reaves as the headliner from the Lakers and includes no draft equity going either direction, is more realistic than it might seem,” Hughes wrote on August 14.
“The Bulls preserve their picks, break up LaVine’s big deal into four smaller ones and remove their biggest impediment to a true reconstruction.”
This deal would not work as currently constructed, per Spotrac’s trade machine.
The Bulls are hard-capped at the $178.1 million first luxury tax apron, per Spotrac. Hughes’ suggested deal would add $16.3 million to their bottom line in 2024-25, putting them over that first-apron threshold by $6.6 million.
Bulls Would Land Diverse Group in Zach LaVine Trade Proposal
Reaves is in Year 2 of a four-year, $53.8 million contract that he signed in restricted free agency in 2023. Reaves averaged 15.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 2023-24. He has a $12.9 million cap hit in 2024-25.
Hachimura averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 board, and 1.2 assists in 2023-24, the first year of a three-year, $51 million contract. He carries a $17 million cap hit in 2024-25.
Vanderbilt appeared in 29 games in 2023-24 due to injury.
People forget the Lakers have this defensive DEMON healthy and ready to ball out 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KcI3R5ld5h
— SMJ (@SixthManJake) July 31, 2024
He averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his appearances. Vanderbilt is beginning a four-year, $48 million contract extension and has a $10.7 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season.
Russell averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 2023-24. He is on an expiring contract in the final year of his two-year, $36 million pact.
He will count $18.7 million against the salary cap in 2024-25.
This group would add scoring (Hachimura, Reaves, and Russell) and defense (Vanderbilt) to the Bulls who could need help in both areas after trading DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings over the 2024 offseason.
However, the Bulls would have to cut three players if they were financially able to make the trade as currently constructed with all of their standard contract roster spots filled.
Bulls Could Add Players to Make Deal With Lakers Work
Adding a player like Nikola Vucevic (three-year, $60 million contract) would mean the Lakers have to add more players to the deal. Adding someone on a smaller contract like Jevon Carter (three-year, $19.5 million contract) would require adding another player to satisfy league rules.
That is only the beginning of the potential difficulty in getting a deal like Hughes suggests completed.
The Lakers’ interest in LaVine has been minimal to this point.
Lakers star LeBron James was in favor of dealing for the Bulls star, though, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Anthony Slater, and Jovan Buha in February. Buha also reported on the “Buha’s Block” podcast in July that the Lakers would only trade Reaves for an “All-Star-level guy.”
Flight 8 in attack mode! ✈️@ZachLaVine | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/GCGHohlkMp
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 10, 2023
It is unclear if LaVine is still viewed that way in league circles. LaVine’s last All-Star appearance came in 2022, marking back-to-back trips for the 2020 Olympic gold medalist.
He has since dealt with knee and foot injuries that required surgery.
LaVine’s 2023-24 campaign was short after 25 games. He is in Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract with a $43 million cap charge in 2024-25. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said he expected LaVine to open camp with the team.
