Why the Trade Works for the Chicago Bulls
Moving on from Zach LaVine would not be an easy choice for the Chicago Bulls. He is coming off a career-year and was nearly one of the NBA’s top 10 leading scorers— ranking No. 11 with an average of 25.5 points per game.
The Bulls involved LaVine as a heavy usage (31.2%) offensive option and he hasn’t had a single-season usage rate below 29% since being traded to the team. Replacing such a heavily involved member of the half-court offense would create opportunities for players like Coby White, Lauri Markannen, Wendell Carter Jr., and whoever goes No. 4 overall.
The main concern with keeping LaVine long-term for the Bulls is that his current contract is set to expire after the 2021-22 NBA season. He will have the choice of departing to a different organization and there will be no shortage of interested suitors.
Would the Bulls want to shell out a massive contract to retain LaVine? The team hasn’t won with him being such a heavily involved playmaker. In fact, the offense was among the NBA’s worst last season— ranking just 26th in points per possession.
Making this particular trade with the Dallas Mavericks would provide the Bulls with some impactful role players and some trade ammunition in the form of NBA Draft picks. If Chicago wants to move up from No. 4, they could use the No. 18 and No. 31 picks to do so.
