Chicago Bulls Receive: G Norman Powell, G Matt Thomas, TOR 2021 1st Round Pick, TOR 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected), TOR 2025 2nd Round Pick, TOR 2026 2nd Round Pick
Toronto Raptors Receive: G Zach LaVine, CHI 2021 2nd Round Pick
The Toronto Raptors would have to give up a lot in order to get Zach LaVine, and while in this trade they are giving up two first-round picks and two second-round picks, they could probably get away with trading just a single second-round pick. Overall though, the Bulls are definitely going to want at least two first-round picks for their superstar.
Adding Zach LaVine to the Raptors would actually be a great fit and for a couple of reasons. Not only is LaVine a solid defensive player, but this team is lacking a “got-to” playmaker on the wing.
Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are all great talents and can score in bunches, but when comparing them to other teams like the 76ers, Nets and Bucks, it just seems like they are missing another high-level talent that can help the Raptors score. So far this season, Toronto lacks scoring talent and ranks near the bottom of the league in total offense, which is why the addition of LaVine could be so valuable.
Zach LaVine is a guy who can score in bunches and with the playmakers that would be surrounding him in Toronto, he would have an even easier time scoring there in their offense than he does with the Bulls where he has the ball almost every position. He is not a guy that needs to have the ball in his hands to be successful and with playmakers like VanVleet and Lowry pulling the strings in the offense, LaVine could turn into an even better shooter.
Giving up Norman Powell and Matt Thomas does not hurt Toronto too much depth-wise, given that LaVine is an upgrade from Powell and Terence Davis is a guy who could step up into the role Thomas has played for Toronto. The draft capital the Toronto Raptors would have to give up could wind up being problematic in a trade to acquire LaVine.
This trade leaves Toronto with 8 draft picks, including the one they receive in the trade, through the 2027 NBA Draft, which is not terrible since most of the picks are first-round picks, but it is definitely not ideal, as this team has pride themselves on building a sustainable core through the draft for years.
The opportunity to land a guy like Zach LaVine though, especially with Kyle Lowry being on the back-end of his career could be too good to pass up on, especially after the success they had a few years back trading for Kawhi Leonard. Now, LaVine is not even close to being as talented as Kawhi is, but having that extra, reliable, high-level scorer could be the difference in Toronto being a good team and a great team.
Let’s take a closer look as to why this trade makes sense for both the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors.
