In a matter of weeks, the Chicago Bulls will formally usher in their 2026-27 NBA season with media day and the start of their training camp. As it currently stands, the Bulls have 14 of their 15 main roster spots filled.
With their 2026-27 cap sheet sitting at approximately $2 million beneath the $165 million NBA salary cap, according to Spotrac, the Bulls are likely to use some or all of their $9.4 million room mid-level exception (MLE) if the franchise decides to fill their 15th open roster spot at some point during the upcoming NBA season.
If the Bulls are motivated to fill their 15th roster spot sooner rather than later, the Los Angeles Lakers remain a viable trade partner for the Bulls to engage in the twilight of the 2026 NBA offseason.
Conversely, the Lakers should be prioritizing a trade conversation with the Bulls as their roster sits at 16 filled roster spots, which must be trimmed down to 15 by the opening night of the 2026-27 NBA regular season.
The Lakers have been a prominent fixture in almost the entirety of 2026 NBA offseason storylines. A surprising ownership change that devolved into soap opera-grade family drama, being a target free-agency destination for Jonathan Kuminga, and, of course, the departure of the last superstar to deliver the Lakers an NBA championship, LeBron James.
The Bulls might have done well to insert themselves as a third wheel to facilitate a Kuminga move to the Lakers, but that didn’t happen. Lakers rotational players' names like Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy, and Bronny James have been discussed as trade targets worth the Bulls' attention. But what if there is yet another name worth consideration?
Weighing Jake LaRavia in a Chicago Bulls jersey
An intriguing and risky trade opportunity for the Bulls would be acquiring Lakers forward Jake LaRavia into their room MLE to fill their 15th roster spot.
The roster benefits of LaRavia are clear as a reliable defensive playmaker who provides a good contribution of bench scoring. In his four-season NBA career, LaRavia averages 1.6 steals per 36 minutes, in addition to averaging 12.6 points per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference. It also helps that LaRavia is still relatively young, with the 2026-27 NBA season representing his age-25 NBA season.
LaRavia’s roster cons are equally clear. At the power forward position, there’s a case to be made that LaRavia is undersized at 6'7" and 235 pounds, and his career rebounding numbers might be the smoking gun that closes that case. In his four-season NBA career, LaRavia averages 6.0 rebounds per 36 minutes.
More concerning in LaRavia’s game is a pronounced regression in his shooting abilities. In his three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, LaRavia shot 36.9% on 5.2 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, while in his Lakers tenure, LaRavia is shooting 32.1% on 4.2 three-point attempts per 36 minutes.
The prospect of the Bulls acquiring LaRavia is nuanced given he is young and on a cheap contract. Yet, LaRavia's statistical profile doesn’t stray far from Bulls forward Patrick Williams, so the long-term benefit of acquiring LaRavia is questionable, even in a rebuild.
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