Without trading a player back to the Wizards that the Bulls acquired from them in the last two seasons in the first place, then 6-foot-6 shooting guard Zach LaVine will have to be a key centerpiece in this big player swap. Since the Bulls are arriving at a key stopping and shifting point of their rebuild amid all the front office changes, they need to figure out what option will work best for roster construction moving forward.
In this first trade scenario where the Bulls nearly completely tear down the rebuild they had going for the first two years under former vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman, they part ways with both LaVine and third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. LaVine and Lauri were key to the Bulls rebuild it seemed down the stretch last season.
But they both have yet to remain healthy and productive over any consistent span of time since they both arrived in the Windy City. LaVine was nearly a first-time NBA All-Star selection earlier this year, when the festivities for the weekend were hosted at the United Center in Chicago, but he’s still not as much of a proven star guard as Beal.
Since the Bulls are still giving up a load here to the Wizards to get Beal in return, they do get Washington’s first round draft pick for their troubles. That would give the Bulls two potential lottery picks to hopefully strike gold with. Maybe that could also include a haul like Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Deni Avdija, and/or NBL 6-foot-7 point guard LaMelo Ball.