LaVine Scoring Explosion Could Be Key To Big Summer Trade

The Chicago Bulls are at a major crossroads, as they head into the final stretches of the regular season, not knowing whether they’ll make the postseason, or go straight into an early summer vacation.

Key areas of the roster is currently up in the air, which could affect not just next season, but the next few years at least.

Their starting center, Nikola Vučević, is an unrestricted free agent this summer and could depart outright, leaving Chicago with nothing to show for their 2021 trade, relinquishing Wendell Carter Jr and two modestly protected first round picks.

DeMar DeRozan, Chicago’s key 2021 offseason acquisition, has trailed off as of late, and the soon-to-be 34-year-old only has a year left on his contract, making his future beyond the 2023-2024 season murky at best.

Lonzo Ball is out for the season, and may never return as the player he used to be, leaving Chicago in a rough position at point guard, where they committed $20 million per year to Ball.

Patrick Williams has made improvements to his game this season – his third in the NBA – but the former fourth overall selection looks nothing like a star, but more so a reliable role player moving forward.

It’s all fairly discouraging, which is why the recent play from Zach LaVine should be considered a major win for Chicago long-term.

The 28-year-old shooting guard has been red hot lately, averaging 27.3 points over 31 games, including 35.0 points over the past five games.

LaVine has stepped out of the shadow role he’s been in since the arrival of DeRozan almost two years ago, taking on a level of offensive responsibility he hasn’t had in years, reminding everyone of his status as an elite scorer.

The two-time All-Star is hitting over 68% of his shot attempts near the rim on the season, despite spending the first month lacking explosion due to offseason knee surgery. Since coming back to his old physical norm, LaVine has shown an increased ability to finish plays at a high level, be that on or off the ball.

In short, LaVine is performing at a level that has so far justified the $215 million contract he signed last summer, and that’s good news for the Bulls for one reason:

Trade value.

Despite the elite play he’s showcasing right now, Chicago simply doesn’t have the pieces to pivot into building around LaVine. It’ll take years to gather the right pieces, at which point LaVine will be in his 30’s and on the athletic downswing of his career.

Basically, moving off LaVine this summer when the Bulls can maximize a trade return, is the right play.

It’s a move that will greatly divide Bulls fans, as LaVine has built a career and a life in Chicago, where he is greatly valued by the fan base. LaVine is widely considered as one of the best scorers in Bulls history, particularly in the post-Jordan years where stars have usually only stuck around briefly, or succumbed to injuries.

LaVine has been the outlier, a nightly 20-plus point scorer who has provided the team with elite offense and highly efficient play. Moving off of him will be a tough decision for the organization at large.

Nevertheless, it’s difficult to spot realistic alternatives that allows the Bulls to quickly field a better team around him.

Moving off DeRozan and Alex Caruso would unquestionably result in draft picks coming back, which theoretically could be re-routed for established help. But would that help be enough to give Chicago a playoff team in 2024? It seems unlikely, as the league’s elite has gotten better, and the competitive level of all teams have increased due to the implementation of both the play-in tournament, and the lowered draft odds.

A LaVine trade would initiate a major rebuilding process as the Bulls can fetch an enormous return for the star, securing themselves both young players and a treasure chest of draft picks, which would then lay the foundation for the next five seasons as the Bulls claw their way back to relevance.

For a franchise that seems determined to stay competitive, the above scenario might be a non-starter, but that shouldn’t deter them from the fact that starting over is overwhelmingly necessary.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.