Denver Nuggets Receive: G Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls Receive: G Gary Harris, G RJ Hampton, C Bol Bol, DEN 2021 1st Round Pick, DEN 2022 1st Round Pick (Pick Swap, More Favorable), DEN 2024 1st Round Pick (Pick Swap, More Favorable)
When the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in 2011, they received a massive overhaul of players and picks in return. If they want to get Zach LaVine now, they will have to do the opposite and send away a massive overhaul of players and picks since LaVine’s value is at an all-time high and he just got recognized as an All-Star for the first-time in his career.
If they are to get LaVine, the Nuggets would not need Gary Harris and they should be willing to part ways with two young and promising talents in R.J. Hampton and Bol Bol as well. The draft picks could be where the problem lies for Denver as giving up virtually three first-round picks could be detrimental to their success moving forward.
With Jokic, Murray, Porter Jr. and Barton all under contract for at least one more season, the Nuggets would not have much cap space to go out and bring in key free agents moving forward and would really have to rely on their trio of Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Zach LaVine to carry this team to the “promise land.”
There is no doubt that adding Zach LaVine to this team would immediately make the Nuggets an even more dangerous team than they already are in the Western Conference, but they do not have much draft compensation as it is and getting rid of more first-round picks could really hurt them in future years.
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For the Bulls, they would be getting an enormous return for Zach LaVine, but they really may not want to trade him, regardless of who they can get for him. This team is LaVine’s team and all of his teammates love him, which is why trading him away could create a toxic environment now and moving forward.
It seems like things are trending towards the Bulls keeping LaVine at the trade deadline, but the NBA is a crazy league ,especially around the trade deadline and nobody is ever 100% safe from being traded. With that said, let’s take a closer look as to if this trade makes sense for both the Nuggets and the Bulls.
