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Trade packages that can help the Chicago Bulls kickstart its rebuild
Could the report from The Athletic that details the Chicago Bulls' openness to trading star wingman Zach LaVine be the harbinger of a rebuild in the Windy City? It might be, and if it is, Bleacher Report has lined up some packages that may make sense for the Bulls.
Zach LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers always seem to get mentioned whenever trade rumors pop up. However, the Lakers may offer the Bulls some valuable assets if they are serious about trading LaVine. In this trade, the Lakers would give up D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2028 first-round pick swap, and a 2030 top-five-protected first-round pick to acquire the two-time slam dunk champion and bolster its backcourt.
"This move makes L.A.'s backcourt bigger and more explosive, likely pushes Austin Reaves to the 1 (where he may fit better) and takes some offensive pressure off LeBron and AD," Andy Bailey wrote of this trade proposal's viability.
In return, the Bulls would receive an intriguing prospect in the 20-year-old Hood-Schifino, who stands 6-foot-6 but boasts a 6-foot-10 wingspan as well as some valuable draft assets.
DeMar DeRozan to the Miami Heat
DeMar DeRozan is playing in the final season of the three-year contract he signed with the Bulls in 2021. Although the two sides have begun negotiating an extension, reports have stated nothing yet is set in stone.
This much is certain, if the Bulls don't feel like they can get an extension done with Deebo, the front office must act now rather than risk losing the veteran wingman for nothing.
A trade to the Miami Heat may make sense. In this scenario, the Bulls would receive Kyle Lowry, a 2026 second-round pick (via Los Angeles), and a 2029 first-round pick swap.
"The calculus for Chicago on this one isn't much different than the that on the Vucevic slide. DeRozan's value can't be high right now. He's well past his prime, shooting poorly to start this season and having a negative impact on his team's point differential for the 13th time in 15 seasons," Bailey said.
"Two-and-a-half years from now, when LeBron James is in his 40s and the already-injury-prone Anthony Davis is in his mid-30s, that second-round pick could be fairly valuable. And who knows where Miami will be in 2029? Betting on the Heat's downfall has rarely made sense, but a pick swap that far in the future is a decent pickup."
