Chicago Bulls: 3 Zach LaVine trades with the Knicks
There’s a whole lot going on here.
Since it is so difficult, as previously mentioned, to get a trade going between the Bulls and Knicks to ship LaVine to New York, the two teams have to get a third involved. And this particular trade deal sees the Orlando Magic help push the deal along to hypothetically get it done in the end.
Actually most of the action in this particular trade deal comes between the Bulls and Magic. While the Bulls do send LaVine off to the Knicks still, they also have a lot getting exchanged between them and the Magic. What they get from the Magic is a solid haul that includes All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and potent big man Jonathan Isaac.
In return, the Bulls have to send Markkanen and WCJ, along with their highest paid player OPJ, to get this deal done from the Magic side. The only piece that the Magic send to the Knicks here is veteran shooting guard Terrence Ross, so they can get his more than $13 million annual salary off their books.
And the Bulls do get the former NC State Wolfpack point guard Dennis Smith Jr. from the Knicks in this trade. The hopes of what most assumed DSJ could potentially become are now gone. But one last change of scenery could still do him some good.
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The final major piece that helps to get this deal done in the end is the Knicks sending a future unprotected first round draft pick to the Bulls. Getting a haul that includes the likes of Vucevic, Isaac, a future unprotected first round draft pick, and DSJ, could be worth giving up a load of the young core that includes LaVine, Markkanen, WCJ, and OPJ.