NBA
The Chicago Bulls will be the most interesting trade deadline team
Mat Issa is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Yes, he spells his name with one "t." He's obsessed with NBA history, so much so that he's dedicated nearly two years of research to his two mini-series', "Blazing the Trail" and "The Quest for the Best." Right now, Mat goes to law school and writes about the NBA for The Analyst, Forbes, and of course, Basketball Insiders. His work has also been featured in ESPN, SB Nation, FanSided, Basketball News, ONE37pm, and Raptors Republic. Also, he's a lifelong Spartans fan. Go Green!
All posts by Mat IssaUpdated15 Nov 2023
On Tuesday, it was reported by The Athletic’s NBA Insider Shams Charania that the Chicago Bulls may be interested in exploring a trade for Zach LaVine. Here is what he said:
“NBA teams are probing the availability of two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine, and there’s been increased openness from the Chicago Bulls and LaVine about exploring a trade, league sources said.”
The Appeal of Zach LaVine
The main appeal behind the two-time All-Star is his versatility on the offensive side of the ball. Heading into this year, LaVine has averaged more than 23.7 PPG in every season since 2018-19. But there is more to the story than just the gaudy numbers.
LaVine is capable of scoring both on and off the ball. Over the last three years, LaVine is in the 58th percentile on pull-up threes (on 94th percentile volume) and in the 94th percentile on catch-and-shoot threes (per Thinking Basketball). Those marks indicate his ability to get buckets on his own or while playing off other high-level creators.
He’s also an improved (albeit still flawed) passer and playmaker, averaging over four assists in every season before this one since 2018-19.
More Valuable Assets To Move
After a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, the Bulls have stumbled out of the gates to a 4-7 record in 2023-24. If they are looking to move LaVine, it is likely that they are looking to unload their entire treasure chest of tradeable veteran contributors.
Along with LaVine, that could include guys like Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Mirotic. We’ve already discussed the appeal of a team trading for Caruso. DeRozan is a proven on-ball scorer and creator with a history of being a high-character locker room guy. Plus, he’s on an expiring contract. Meanwhile, Mirotic provides size, defensive guile, offensive spacing, and low post scoring.
In any event, if Chicago is serious about tearing things down and rebuilding, they will be a very interesting team to keep tabs on as we get closer to the deadline based on all the potential pieces they could gift teams that are contending for a title.
