Regrade the Trade: Zach LaVine Deal Continues to Age Well for Chicago Bulls

The Zach LaVine trade marked the beginning of the end for the most recent era of Chicago Bulls basketball.

For the organization to have the explosive trade deadline fans witnessed earlier this month, they had to first move on from their former max player. LaVine was taking up a significant amount of cap space – let alone playing his own role in keeping the team in the Play-In Tournament picture. By trading him, it finally felt like the floodgates had opened.

To be sure, it took a year or so for the water to finally settle. The Bulls' longest tenured player is now Patrick Williams, as the roster is essentially unrecognizable. Speaking of which, more drastic moves are expected in the coming months. The team continues to have a slew of expiring contracts, as well as a lofty arsenal of draft picks at its disposal.

As we continue to watch these changes unfold, it's going to be difficult not to think back to the LaVine deal. Our interpretation of what that trade meant and what it brought the organization will continue to transform, which is why now feels like a natural time to revisit things. The Bulls as a whole may remain in a very uninspiring place, but the trade itself has at least led to some much-needed momentum.

With that in mind, let's review the domino effect of the LaVine transaction and try to regrade the deal as a whole.

Zach LaVine Trade Leads to Flurry of Moves for Chicago Bulls

Zach LaVine of the Sacramento Kings — Feb 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during a free throw in the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

All things considered, the trade return for Zach LaVine has changed significantly over the last year. The original package saw Chicago land Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, and full control over their 2025 first-round pick, which turned into Noa Essengue. They also created a lofty trade exception, which proved to be the first thing that came in handy during this most recent NBA trade deadline.

The Bulls did some surprisingly good business when they helped the Kings and Cavaliers facilitate their De'Andre Hunter trade a couple of weeks back. They used part of the LaVine exception to take on Dario Saric's salary and thus received two future second-round picks. But it gets better!

Chicago was then able to flip Saric and Kevin Huerter to the Detroit Pistons in another three-team deal, landing 24-year-old former lottery pick Jaden Ivey and veteran guard Mike Conley. From there, the Bulls continued to reap the benefits of the trade exception deal for Saric, sending one of those second-rounders to the Boston Celtics as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade. This deal netted them an expiring contract in Anfernee Simons, as well as a high-quality second-round pick that is expected to sit between 31 and 35.

Let's also not fail to consider how this ties to the Coby White deal. The Bulls moved Conley, who came alongside Ivey in the Huerter-Saric deal – to the Charlotte Hornets with White. While he may have been waived shortly after by the Hornets and had little value, his contract is a big reason why that trade could have happened in the first place. Charlotte clearly wanted to swap Sexton out for White, who was making $18+ million compared to White's $12+ million. Conley's $10+ million gave the Bulls some additional money to work with.

Ousmane Dieng was another part of that White deal, who the Bulls later flipped for big man Nick Richards. A mistake? Most likely, but another connective tissue!

So, for those keeping track at home, the LaVine chain reaction essentially led to the following trade return ...

– Tre Jones
– Zach Collins
– Noa Essengue
– Jaden Ivey
– Anfernee Simons
– Collin Sexton
– Nick Richards
– 2026 second-round pick (most favorable of NYK/NOP/POR/MIN)
– 2029 second-round pick
– 2031 second-round pick via NYK
– 2031 second-round pick via DEN

You can quibble with connecting the Vucevic trade to LaVine, as the Bulls probably could have made that happen with a different pick. But the fact of the matter is, they avoided using one of their own seconds because of the trade exception that helped take back Saric. That's a win.

You can make a similar argument about the White trade. The return centered mostly around the draft capital, which had everything to do with White and nothing to do with Conley. Still, the money always matters.

One also has to factor in what is currently going on in Sacramento. It's not as if LaVine has gone on to make the Bulls pay for parting ways. The guard has struggled heavily to look like the same high-volume scorer, and he is now about to be shut down for the remainder of the season. LaVine is expected to undergo hand surgery after the All-Star break, per Chris Haynes. The Kings sit with a league-low 12 wins this season.

Is any of this to say the Chicago Bulls deserve a new level of respect? No. This is still an organization with more questions than answers. However, many did criticize them for the initial underwhelming return, which now looks considerably better.

Essengue is a potential building block. Jones has put together a career year and is signed to an incredibly team-friendly contract. Ivey is someone the organization can consider adding to its core moving forward. Four second-rounders just landed a player as good as Ayo Dosunmu. Most importantly, as the Kings have to deal with LaVine picking up his nearly $49.0 million deal in a couple of months, the Bulls will have several contracts coming off the books.

Again, we aren't talking about some kind of highway robbery here by Karniosvas. The Bulls still deserve a slap on the wrist for waiting too long to move LaVine and putting themselves in this uncomfortable situation. But there is no doubt they would much rather be in the place they are now than still stuck with LaVine's hefty salary on the roster. That's why it feels hard not to officially move this trade into above-average territory.

Zach LaVine Trade Leads to Flurry of Moves for Chicago Bulls

New Grade: B