Examining Potential Trade Destinations For Zach LaVine

The Chicago Bulls have turned into an unmitigated disaster. Almost 25 percent into the regular season, Chicago checks in with a 5-14 record with no signs of a turnaround on the horizon.

If you’re brave enough to dive into the advanced metrics on Chicago, it paints an even uglier picture: 108.9 offensive rating (26th), 116.0 defensive rating (22nd), minus-7.1 net rating (T24th).

A shakeup is coming in the Windy City by February’s trade deadline, and all indications are LaVine will be the first one out of town. Not only have the whispers on LaVine’s future grown louder, but the discontent is obvious. It’s bleeding over into the on-court product lately, where their star shooting guard is seemingly counting down the days until his unceremonious exit.

Whether it be a complete lack of effort some nights, or the obvious realization that their star trio of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic won’t bring fruitful results together (outscored by 15.5 points per 100 possessions when sharing the floor), it’s long overdue for the Bulls to blow this whole operation up.

Down to foundational levels, a clean sweep of the Bulls must be further examined, all the way up to their front office’s consistent swings-and-misses.

LaVine will be the first domino to fall on the Bulls’ roster failures soon enough, so which teams make sense to acquire him? Five stand out from the rest, with three reported at least some level of interest already.

Los Angeles Lakers

This fit seems too obvious from LaVine’s camp. Not only is LaVine a California native who attended UCLA, but he’s also represented by super agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Who also is part of Klutch? The Lakers’ superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, ironically enough.

Los Angeles also has the needed assets to swing a LaVine deal. Because of LaVine’s max contract, the market won’t be robust to acquire a guard who can only provide scoring and not much else. The Lakers can cobble together salaries mainly built around D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, plus a future draft pick.

Package: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, 2029 1st (top-5 protected)

While not much value on Chicago’s end, this feels like the proper baseline for any LaVine transaction: a solid rotation player plus a draft pick or two. It’s a clean breakup both sides seem eager to happen, and again LaVine’s $40+ million salary won’t help matters one bit from a negotiation standpoint.

Philadelphia 76ers

After James Harden’s ugly exit at the beginning of the season, the Sixers have rebounded in the best way possible. Not only has Tyrese Maxey developed into a full-fledged co-star alongside Joel Embiid, but Philadelphia has maintained max salary cap space for next offseason.

LaVine reportedly favors three teams as potential destinations: Lakers, Sixers and the Miami Heat. Philadelphia’s newly acquired salaries from the Harden trade actually make a LaVine deal plausible. Not only would LaVine provide more offensive firepower, but lock in another star-level player next to Embiid and Maxey.

Package: Paul Reed, Robert Covington, Furkan Korkmaz, Marcus Morris Sr., 2024 unprotected 1st, 2028 1st (via Clippers — top 5 protected)

Again, the value in return for Chicago isn’t going to blow anyone away. However, it really feels like the proper baseline in navigating potentially tumultuous negotiating waters.

Miami Heat

The Heat continue to be a destination stars yearn for. Damian Lillard only wanted Miami all offseason before being shipped to their Eastern Conference rival in the Milwaukee Bucks. With Lillard and other stars crossed off the list, will Miami even be interested in LaVine’s services?

Knowing how the Heat operate, the fit is a bit cloudy. Unless Miami feels compelled to offload Tyler Herro in a potential deal, which they’ve refused on various stars in the past, LaVine ending up in Miami feels the least likely of all scenarios.

If the price is extremely discounted, maybe Miami finally kicks the tires on an All-Star-level scorer to pair alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Package: Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, Kyle Lowry, 2029 1st (top-5 protected)

Honestly, not a bad haul for Chicago in this deal. Jovic was supposed to find a spot in Miami’s rotation, but the young forward is still struggling to find his way in Miami’s system. Martin was a staple to the Heat’s run to the Finals, but the potential of adding LaVine in his place has to be intriguing.

Sacramento Kings

If there’s one team that feels ready to push the chips in on a more aggressive level, it’s the Kings. Shams Charania reported this month that Sacramento will be in on the top available players before the trade deadline.

Sacramento’s run-and-gun offense with LaVine thrown into the mix actually could vault them to real contender status within the loaded Western Conference. LaVine and De’Aaron Fox would form one of the Association’s most lethal scoring backcourts.

Compared to other contenders, Sacramento could pay a heavier price to win immediately.

Package: Kevin Huerter or Malik Monk, Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, 2029 1st (top-5 protected)

Would the Kings be willing to sacrifice depth in return for LaVine? That’s the big question here, in terms of potential interest. If they want to upgrade from Huerter or Monk with LaVine, it will also have to cost their starting power forward in Barnes for salary-matching purposes.

Keep an eye on Sacramento, because a lot of boxes check off well here for both team and player fit.

Orlando Magic

Orlando is the surprise darling early on this season. Young players across the board are taking developmental leaps forward for a team currently second in the conference standings.

If the Magic’s success isn’t a mirage, all advanced metrics point to this not being the case, why wouldn’t they at least kick the tires on acquiring LaVine?

Orlando adding in LaVine alongside former No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner takes their ceiling up another level in the short and long-term outlook. And with so many young players under contract, Orlando can afford to offload a promising prospect that entices Chicago.

Package: Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, 2024 unprotected 1st, 2025 1st (via Nuggets — top 5 protected)

Fultz could become Chicago’s longstanding answer at point guard due to Lonzo Ball’s unfortunate injury track record. Adding in two picks on top of Fultz could put Orlando right near the top of Chicago’s list of obtaining LaVine.

Nobody is talking about the Magic being in on LaVine right now, but their front office loves to work in the shadows. Don’t be surprised if the Magic ultimately win the LaVine derby, but are they willing to shake up their roster in this manner?