To the naked eye, it appears as if it is the same old, same old in The Windy City. The Chicago Bulls (20-28) are once again headed for an uninspiring NBA Play-In Tournament appearance with no trace of genuine enthusiasm in sight.
The annual trade/rebuild rumors, which have yet to materialize into anything of substance over the last few years, just hammers home this nauseating sense of deja vu. There is one major difference this season, however.
The Bulls’ top players actually seem movable now. The Zach LaVine contract, an unrelenting burden that has prevented the franchise from pressing on, is as palatable as ever amid the 29-year-old guard’s resurgence. Is the upcoming Feb. 6 trade deadline finally the day Chicago sends him to another team? Well, not if he has anything to say about it.
“Zach LaVine does not want to be traded after basically two years of there being a mutual understanding between him and the Bulls that finding him a new home would be beneficial for all parties,” Jake Fischer said on Bleacher Report’s NBA Insider Notebook. “He’s got a child on the way; he’s playing very well.
“Zach LaVine is not looking to be moved in this truncated trade window here. But that does not necessarily matter because the Bulls are still looking to move him.”
It could be now or never for the Bulls
Nothing comes easy for Bulls fans. When a two-time All-Star playing possibly the best basketball of his career is committed to his current employer, the local response is usually one of unrestrained jubilation. Chicago is in a seemingly perpetual predicament, though. Everyone has witnessed this group’s ceiling.
The status quo is producing mentally exhausting results. A roster shakeup is possibly the only way the organization can alter its presently stale trajectory. Trading LaVine, who has almost $46 million coming in next season and a near-$49 million player option the following year, is the first major step toward achieving reconstruction.
The No. 13-overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting a career-high 51.1 percent from the field and a scorching 44.6 percent from 3-point range. Maybe even more importantly, though, he has missed only six games in 2024-25.
LaVine’s productivity and health makes him a potential trade candidate for multiple teams, including the Golden State Warriors. Considering the Dubs’ offensive inconsistencies, they could be enticed to push for the former UCLA Bruins talent and pair him in the backcourt alongside Stephen Curry.
A franchise desperate to capitalize on its dwindling competitive window is the perfect dance partner for the Bulls.
LaVine might be happy where he is right now, especially given his present life circumstances, but the stars are probably as aligned as they ever will be for Chicago to deal him away. Unfortunately, timing is rarely ever good for both sides. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has less than a week to make something happen.
