This offseason, the Chicago Bulls could be one of the more frequently mentioned teams among trade discussions around the NBA.
For much of the 2020 offseason to date, the chatter surrounding the Chicago Bulls roster has been with potential trades and trade targets. Two of the most heavily discussed trade targets on the current Bulls roster this offseason are shooting guard Zach LaVine and power forward Lauri Markkanen. If the Bulls do want to part ways with either LaVine or Markkanen, it would have to be with a very beneficial return to make it worth it for this rebuild heading into its fourth year.
Markkanen didn’t have any preferred teams or ideal landing spots that surfaced yet. But apparently the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have at least looked into what LaVine would bring to the table in terms of a potential trade target. And according to a piece from Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News on Sep. 10, the Nets could consider LaVine as a trade target if they want to add a third piece alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving next season.
This piece talks about the hypothetical scenario of the Nets either using shooting guard/wing Caris LeVert to build around with Irving or Durant, or finding an alternative player to form a big 3. The other trade targets mentioned by this piece are LaVine and Washington Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Here’s more on LaVine and/or Beal as possible targets of the Nets this offseason.
"“I hate to say this, but I would [make a trade]. First off, to be able to get any of those talents, when you have the opportunity to, you have to,” Garnett told The Daily News on Tuesday while promoting responsible drinking with Crown Royal. “LeVert is a really, really good up-and-coming player. He has value. You can leverage that and get you a Zach LaVine who can score with the best of em… Bradley Beal the same. Those pieces there are intricate to the availability — I don’t know how long Bradley Beal is going to be there to be available for Brooklyn.”"
Beal and LaVine could be similar trade targets for the Nets in a sense. Both would bring a star scorer to the table for the Nets that they could get from another team in the Eastern Conference. LaVine has remained as the healthier of the two of late, but Beal is a bit more proven at the star level.
Both the Bulls and Wizards are in weird spots in the East, despite the former of the two being in a lengthier rebuild than the latter.
LaVine averaged 25.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 45.0 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Beal averaged 30.5 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Beal shot 45.5 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The two-time NBA All-Star selection Beal could be just as much of a trade target as LaVine this offseason. But it will be interesting to see how the Bulls and Wizards treat each of their trade situations, if they’re even available in the first place.