Bulls trade Zach LaVine to Kings in massive three-team trade |
Whoa, it finally happened, and to no one's surprise, the Chicago Bulls have traded away Zach Lavine. What has been a busy NBA trade weekend? It all started with the blockbuster move that saw Luka Doncic sent to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, followed by the move overnight with Lavine.
In what has been talked about for several years now, the Bulls have indeed traded away their leading scorer and best player in Lavine, and this marks the beginning of what looks to be another rebuild coming up. Lavine has been out of the lineup the past few games on maternity leave, but that made things easier to trade him as it kept him from getting injured on the floor. Before we get into the Lavine deal, he was part of a three-team deal, the bigger deal of which came first with De'Aaron Fox going from Sacramento to San Antonio. The corresponding move was Lavine going to Sacramento and will reunite with Demar DeRozan again after spending the past three seasons together in Chicago. It shouldn't come as a surprise to see Lavine traded when you look at all the conversations that have gone on over the past few years, but to his credit, he took those talks head-on and put together a great season this year. Lavine indicated that he wanted to remain in Chicago, but also acknowledged that a deal could happen in the near future. Now that the trade has officially gone through, Lavine can focus on the next point of his career in Sacramento, while the Bulls can now plan on the rebuilding phase to retool this roster. Not only did the Bulls receive three players in exchange for Lavine, but the key to the entire deal was getting their 2025 draft pick back from the Spurs. In case you forgot, the Bulls are very thin on first-round picks, and the only way they would get their first-round pick this season was to finish low enough in the standings to keep it from the Spurs. By getting this deal done and getting that pick back, the Bulls now own their 2025 first-round pick, no matter where they pick in the draft. That is huge for a team looking to rebuild, as you need as many assets as possible to jumpstart the rebuild phase. The other part of the deal are the players that came to Chicago and although none of them bring what Lavine brings to the table, you have to like what each player can do.
Not only did the Bulls get their first-round pick back from the Spurs, but they also landed PG Tre Jones, who will now be on his way to Chicago.
The former Duke guard played a massive part in the Blue Devils' success but has never been able to deliver at the NBA. Take this season, for example, where Jones is averaging just 4.4 PPG and 3.7 APG. A big reason for that is a career low in minutes played, which goes with some of the worst shooting percentages we have seen from the young guard.
When he is on, Jones has shown the ability to play a significant role either off the bench or as a fill-in starter, as he has averaged 8.2 PPG and 4.7 APG for his career. Look for Jones to take on a bench role; depending on what happens the rest of the way, he could take the minutes Javon Carter sees.
The other piece from the Spurs coming the Bulls way is PF Zach Collins. Despite Collins putting up some of the worst numbers of his career at 4.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG, Collins is another one of those guys who has shown the ability to give his team significant minutes off the bench. His 6-11 and 250-pound frame gives the Bulls some much-needed size as the Bulls lack size across the board.
As their current roster sits, Nikola Vucevic is the only player at least 6-10, and with his name being mentioned among the trade talks, he could find himself on the move. Should that happen, the 6-9 Jalen Smith moves to the center position, which could push Collins and Patrick Williams into more of a power-forward role.
Arguably, the most intriguing piece the Bulls are receiving is forward Kevin Huerter. The former first-round pick by the Atlanta Hawks, Huerter, is similar to Williams as a guy filled with potential but hasn't lived up to his potential. With his 7.9 PPG this season, you can see a player failing to live up to his potential, but with 11.5 PPG for his career, he has shown the ability to play a significant role.
Of the players that the Bulls received, Huerter is the one name that could have a future with this team, as a change of scenery may do him well. His 6-7 frame gives the Bulls another small forward they can play around with, as the Bulls could go with a bigger lineup the rest of the way.
With the deadline now four days away, keep your eye on more news to come from the Bulls, as this team isn't done changing their roster.
