The Chicago Bulls appear ready to move veteran big man Nikola Vucevic by the Feb. 6 trade deadline; although perhaps with the current front office's history, that statement should be amended to "have options to move".
Lonzo Ball is one of the most intriguing pieces on the market considering his level of play after missing two and a half years, along with his $21.4 million expiring contract.
Jevon Carter could be of use to a contender looking for a point-of-attack defender who has some floor-spacing ability.
For the Bulls, though, almost all the trade fodder surrounds Zach LaVine, who's having an All-Star caliber season with averages of 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists on shooting splits of 51/45/80. His onerous contract is the only thing holding the 29-year-old back from being one of the league's most sought-after players.
That contract, though, would make LaVine an ideal supplementary piece to what's become the biggest story in the NBA: Jimmy Butler's passive-aggressive whining to get out of Miami and the Heat's desire to rid themselves of his ridiculous antics as soon as possible.
It seems the Bulls won't be inserting themselves into that mess, however—likely (hopefully) by their own volition, but, based on recent reports, they wouldn't be a factor even if they wanted to be.
Bulls rumors: Bradley Beal won't waive no-trade clause to join Chicago
If the Bulls did get involved in a Butler trade that would send the current Heat star to his preferred destination in Phoenix, Chicago would join the deal as an ancillary team that would move LaVine and take on Beal, his salary and at least one—if not several—first-round picks.
That iteration of the trade is already dead in the water though, based on the latest rumors surrounding Beal.
The three-time All-Star has no desire to move to the Windy City and would refuse to waive his no-trade clause if a deal did come together, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Beal is willing to waive his no-trade clause for other teams, but as Katz writes, a cold city and a losing team don't appeal to the 31-year-old. Understandably so.
The veteran guard's refusal to move to Chicago is good news, though, if for no other reason than it saves the Bulls' decision-makers from making another franchise-killing decision.