5 quick trade spots for zack lavine…
Hey Everybody! Nate Rankin here, sending out a handful of probably the next NBA All-Star to be moved, Zach LaVine.
Miami Heat:
THE TRADE:
BULLS RECEIVE: Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, 2026 Lakers SRP, 2028 Heat FRP, 2030 Heat FRP.
HEAT RECEIVE: Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso.
Pros: The Bulls move LaVine for some picks, and some players they could sign and trade to add the incentive. The Heat get a second star, and a great role player off bench
Cons: The picks just don’t offer enough for the Bulls. They have shown in recent years that they need to enter an immediate rebuilding period, and picks this far in the future don’t really offer as much, which is the same problem we saw with the potential Damian Lillard trade over the summer. The Heat just don’t have the assets to get another star.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
THE TRADE:
BULLS RECEIVE: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, 2029 FRP, 2 SRPs
LAKERS RECEIVE: Zach LaVine, The Magical Wizard that creates 35 million dollars in cap room.
Wow. Pretty great that the Bulls just had that guy sitting around. All jokes aside, it is impossible for the Lakers to trade for LaVine until mid January unless they trade AD or LeBron James. So stop photoshoping him in Lakers Jerseys. It isn’t happening.
3. New York Knicks
THE TRADE:
BULLS RECEIVE: RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, top 12 protected 2024 FRP (WAS), top 18 protected FRP(DET), two SRPs.
KNICKS RECEIVE: Zach LaVine, Julian Phillips
Pros: Bulls walk out with a slew of SRPs, and a young potential star. The Knicks get a more reliable creating second option over the so far disappointing Julius Randle.
Cons: are the Knicks really ready to part with RJ Barrett? He has been having an excellent season so far. Is it worth giving him up to go all in on an older, more proven player?
4. Sacramento Kings
THE TRADE:
BULLS RECIVE: Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Chris Duarte, a 2026 FRP, a 2025 SRP.
KINGS RECIVE: Zach LaVine.
Pros: The Bulls get some pieces that should be movable at good value once their exemptions are up, and the Kings get a big three, trading a shooter who hasn’t been shooting great this season, their alrightish forward who also hadn’t been as efficient, and Chris Duarte.
Cons: Is it really time for the Kings to make a huge move? They’ve looked pretty nice this season. And I’m not sure how the Bulls would feel about their longer wait players.
5. Toronto Raptors
THE TRADE:
BULLS RECIVE: Gary Trent Jr, Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young, a 2026 FRP (Top 8 protected), a 2028 FRP (Top 10 protected), a 2027 SRP.
RAPTORS RECIVE: Zach LaVine
Pros: The Raptors get the outside scoring guard they desperately need, and form a psuedo big three with Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam. The Bulls get some picks, a young player, and some others.
Cons: Probably the wrong direction for the Raptors. They haven’t been contenders in a while, and got bounced in the first play-in round by the Bulls. Trading their picks in the future probably won’t pay off, and it would leave them in a bad way, so I protected them. Main problem is that I think the Bulls wouldn’t want those protected picks from a team nearing a tank. But maybe they do.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, I’m not a NBA GM, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. That being said, I think the Kings trade is the best one. Nate Rankin signing off!
