The Chicago Bulls surprised some teams early in the season with their fast-paced style, and picked up upset wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic. Since then, however, they’ve lost four in a row to drop to 11th place in the Eastern Conference and Lonzo Ball’s wrist injury was revealed to be worse than initially thought.
While the East is bad enough that the Bulls could sneak into the Play-In Tournament, they are more than likely heading for a seventh lottery appearance in the last eight seasons. It’s no surprise, then, that trade rumors are already starting to swirl in the Windy City.
After sending Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City in the summer, the Bulls’ biggest trade assets are Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The team is expected to explore deals for both players, but not until later in the season, according to Jamal Collier. For now, the front office wants to allow both players the opportunity to bounce back from poor 2023-24 campaigns.
Thus far, both LaVine and Vucevic are doing just that.
Now fully healthy, LaVine is averaging 22.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 64.8% true shooting, which would be a career-high. He’s one of just six players in the league taking at least eight 3-pointers per game and making at least 45% of them, and has been automatic on catch-and-shoot opportunities now that he’s playing more off the ball: 57.1% on 3.5 attempts per game.
Vucevic, likewise, has been shooting the lights out. He’s at 21.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on a remarkable 68.2% true shooting, which would also be a career-high. Among players who have attempted at least 40 3-pointers this season, he’s eighth in the league at a career-best 47.5%. At this pace, he’ll average a 20-10 season for the first time since 2021.
The Bulls have been interested in trading both former All-Stars since last season, but found there wasn’t a market for either of them. If they keep playing like this, that could change, but their respective contracts remain a potential issue.
LaVine is making $43 million this season and has two years and $94.9 million remaining on his contract after that, which includes a player option for 2026-27. Trading for LaVine is not only a massive financial commitment, but a complicated prospect for any contender that is already dealing with salary cap concerns.
Vucevic’s deal is more manageable at $20 million this season and $21.4 million next season. That’s still a lot of money for a 34-year-old coming off a bad season, but it would be much easier for a contender looking for reinforcements to pull off a Vucevic trade.
While the Bulls are reportedly the side willing to wait on trading their veterans, any interested club will also want to see a much bigger sample size before pulling the trigger. This is a situation to monitor, but don’t expect either to get moved until closer to the trade deadline.
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