The Chicago Bulls have not had an easy time of it since trading away Jimmy Butler. Honestly, the years before trading him away weren’t easy, filled with injuries and playoff disappointments, but at least the Bulls were racking up wins and getting to the playoffs. The first few years after Butler was sent away were painful.
That’s what made last year so exciting, as the additions of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso propelled the Bulls back into the stratosphere of the winners. DeRozan’s late-game brilliance, Ball and Caruso establishing a strong defense from the perimeter, and Zach LaVine’s post-Olympics excellence was a rush of serotonin for Bulls fans.
Since then, it’s all come crashing down. An injury-riddled end to the season saw the Bulls tumble down the standings and get clobbered in the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. Lonzo Ball still hasn’t played, the young players’ development has stalled, and the Bulls are clinging to 10th place in the Eastern Conference with the East’s 12th-best net rating.
The Chicago Bulls are not where they hoped to be. Is a big trade the answer?
That’s why it’s no surprise that league executives are circling the team like sharks in the water. Will Zach LaVine ask to be traded? And if he is, will the Bulls be willing to move him? In the event that the stars align and he is available, the New York Knicks join the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks as one of the teams rumored to want to make a run at him.
What would a trade offer from the Knicks look like? Let’s break one such option down and see if it’s the kind of deal the Bulls should entertain.