The Chicago Bulls may very well trade Zach LaVine during the 2024 NBA Offseason. If they do, what remains to be seen is who exactly they could get back for him.
The Chicago Sun-Times Jow Cowley proposed a straight-up swap with the Atlanta Hawks in which the following would happen.
Bulls receive: Trae Young
Hawks receive: LaVine
Cowley explained why it wouldn’t necessarily be a win-win trade while adding how it would work financially.
“Meet two headaches.
“LaVine will make $43 million next season, $46 million in the 2025-26 campaign, and has the player option for the final year at just under $49 million. Young’s deal is all but identical,” Cowley wrote in an April 13 story.
Cowley would then explain how the deal would benefit both sides of the trade.
“Swapping the two would give the Bulls more three-point shooting – they are currently 26th in the league in three-point attempts this season – while LaVine would allow Murray to be the one true point guard and give them a more traditional two guard.
“Simple and clean.”
Both Young and LaVine have made multiple All-Star teams, while the former has made an All-NBA team. Young is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract.
Zach LaVine Opens Up on Trade Rumors
Before having season-ending surgery on his injured foot, there were rumors tying LaVine to the Detroit Pistons, per The Athletic’s James Edwards III. LaVine stayed put as the trade deadline passed. However, that may not mean he’ll stay a Bull for much longer.
LaVine himself commented on this, as he gave his honest thoughts to see his name in the trade rumor mill.
“Nah, there’s a lot of things that don’t bug me,” LaVine told reporters on March 9, per Cowley. “My name has been circulating around more than once from the beginning of my career to now. If I let people’s opinions bug me or influence me, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, so I go out there and keep doing me. Haven’t really talked to anybody, but we’ll continue to push forward.”
LaVine’s spot on the Bulls will likely be a hot topic throughout the 2024 NBA Offseason. He has a proven track record as a star but only has five playoff games to his name.
Zach LaVine ‘Ahead of Schedule’
That same day, he met with reporters post-surgery, and LaVine gave an update on his recovery.
“In about three weeks, I get the boot taken off,” LaVine said. “But I should be good. I think the recovery is three to four months. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule right now, so let’s hope it stays that way.
“I don’t have a lot of pain. They said everything looks good. So hopefully, the next update is as good as the last one.”
LaVine’s quick recovery could help re-establish some of his trade value. Something that an interested suitor must keep in mind is that LaVine is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract. He has helped the Bulls reach the playoffs, but that’d only happened once and the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated them in the first round.
