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Zach LaVine lands in Golden State in this bold trade idea
At this point, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine will remain in the Windy City past the trade deadline. Between his diminished numbers, humongous contract, injury history, and the Bulls’ ability to win without him in the lineup, there simply isn’t a lot of incentive for other teams to make a big move for the high-scoring guard.
However, it hasn’t stopped the experts at Bleacher Report from concocting scenarios wherein the Bulls could offload the high-flying wingman. In this wild trade idea, LaVine gets sent to the Golden State Warriors to try to rejuvenate a fledgling Warriors’ offense.
LaVine to the Warriors for CP3, Moody, Cory Joseph, and two second-round picks
Despite his natural scoring talents, the market for LaVine is bare. So far, only the Detroit Pistons have come close to trading for the former Slam Dunk champ, and it remains to be seen if other NBA teams would dare take the chance to engage in trade discussions for the oft-injured wingman. Regarding this trade idea, this haul might be as good as it gets for the Bulls.
“If Chicago winds up moving LaVine, this is about as much as it should expect to extract. The primary motivation would be financial relief, as Paul's $30 million salary for next season is non-guaranteed, and Joseph is owed nothing past the current campaign. The Bulls would also pick up a decent three-and-D prospect plus two future seconds from a franchise with plenty of uncertainty ahead,” Zach Buckley wrote.
Cratered trade value
LaVine and his team announced their willingness to play elsewhere in November 2023. Two months later, LaVine still wears the Bulls’ red and white, underscoring the difficulty of trading a player with cratered trade value.
“Zach LaVine's trade value was tanked even before his latest bout with the injury bug, this one a right ankle sprain. Time and again, this market has shown it cares more about his injury history, bloated contract, and lack of team success than it does his offensive numbers and past All-Star selections,” Buckley added.
