NBA Trade Idea Sends $215 Million Star to New Eastern Conference Team

Following a 19-25 start to their 2024-25 season, the Chicago Bulls have been a hot commodity in trade rumors. With stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic expected to be shopped ahead of February's trade deadline, the Bulls could have a revamped roster soon.

The Bulls have been stuck in an awkward spot toward the middle of the Eastern Conference standings for years, and the only thing to get them out is to start the rebuild. A new trade idea from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley jumpstarts Chicago's rebuild by getting them away from LaVine's poor contract situation:

Bulls receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Simone Fontecchio, Marcus Sasser, and a 2025 second-round pick (via TOR)

Pistons receive: Zach LaVine

Nov 18, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends against Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

LaVine is in the third season of a five-year, $215 million contract, a horrendous situation for any team interested in trading for the star. Luckily, the Detroit Pistons have more cap space than any team in the league, so pairing LaVine with star point guard Cade Cunningham would be an interesting experiment.

"The Pistons have a way to make life easier on [Cunningham]," Buckley wrote. "That alone is a compelling argument to pursue LaVine. Once you factor in what the addition might mean for Detroit's postseason aspirations—the Pistons are 3.5 games back of fourth place—that's when the temptation might grow too strong to ignore."

LaVine has effectively bounced back from a disappointing 2023-24 season, averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game to get his trade value back up.

Zach LaVine shines with 35 PTS on 52.4 FG% in the @chicagobulls win!

He's scored 30+ PTS in 7 of his last 11 games 😤 pic.twitter.com/4Yu1UpFnQk
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2025

As for why the Bulls would do this trade, Buckley explains that the Bulls simply need to part ways with their 29-year-old star while they still can. But, he throws in two game-changers that really entice this deal for Chicago.

"The real draw for Chicago, though—beyond finally ending the LaVine era—is Sasser, a 2023 first-round pick, and the incoming second from the buried-in-the-standings Raptors," Buckley writes. "Sasser might be a hot streak away from compiling a 50/40/90 shooting slash (48.3/39/91.7) and seems capable of handling secondary playmaking duties (career 2.9 assists against 1.2 turnovers)."

The Bulls parting ways with LaVine is expected at this point, but getting a worthy return for their star guard is where the tricky part comes in.

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